School of Movies

A Space for the Unbound Mar 28, 2025

[School of Everything Else 2025]

A charming 16-bit style indie adventure game, set in suburban Indonesia in the 1990s. This begins cosy, deliberately evoking the familiar, and swiftly becomes strange and mysterious with a story of loss and grief and loneliness at its core; an ache longing to be relieved.

The gameplay involves exploring the town and getting to know the locals, jumping inside their minds to find out what their abiding internal conflicts are and help them deal with these. There is an impressive, melodramatic sweep to this whole thing and we are gratified and edified to have played the whole story as a commission for Tylor.

Crow Country Mar 21, 2025

[School of Everything Else 2025]

A marvellously authentic and creepy modern Survival Horror in the convincing style of a PlayStation One title from the mid-90s conversely featuring inflections of more contemporary scary games. This one is available on Steam and Switch and PS4 and Xbox Series X.

There is an abandoned theme park to explore and mysteries to uncover, as we structure this episode into three sections. GREEN FINE: Means you can hear about the basic setup and still go in completely fresh if you want to know none of the surprises. YELLOW CAUTION: Makes up the majority of the show as we discuss how it goes about itself and what the experience is like. RED DANGER: Is all the juicy endgame material, where we get to fully draw back the curtain.

This was a commissioned show from Maya Santandrea and Selfproclaimed, and we are so glad they chose to set it before us. You will be too.

Resident Evil 4 Mar 14, 2025

[School of Everything Else 2025]

One of the most beloved, instantly-transformative, replayed, re-released, and critically acclaimed games of all time... and would you believe until preparing for this show, that I wasn't massively fussed about it?

But this year I have been replaying all of the original games sequentially, and after the first era of fixed-camera tank controls transitioned into the action-spectacle of 4 I was blindsided by how many fresh aspects of the gameplay and world that I appreciated. The 2005 GameCube hit is, as it turns out deserving of the historical adulation that has been heaped upon it. Moreover, going back to the 2023 remake, it seems Capcom somehow accomplished the impossible, improving upon (almost) every aspect.

Here now is a hyper-focused discussion with three other lovers of this game. The discussion ran long and meandered, and I elected to divide this show into two, with the second part; 'Blue Medallions' being released on the Patreon bonus feed where you can also find an After School Club on Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica.

Jason Slate is holding a three-day charity stream in support of Trans Lifeline, from March 21-23 2025 Noon to Midnight each day Eastern Time at Twitch.tv/themanapool There are over a thousand Steam games to give away from his backlog and every $10 donation to this worthy cause gets you a game. Go watch Chewie play and give generously.

Guests:

Jason "Chewie" Slate of The Mana Pool

James Perkins @Mijmeister

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

The Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Vol. 2 Mar 07, 2025

[School of Everything Else 2025]

All the way back in 2017 I put together an absolutely EPIC musical journey through the first eight years of the MCU, from Iron Man all the way up to Doctor Strange. So much time has passed since then (cue many gifs of Matt Damon drinking from the wrong Grail) and Marvel has not followed my sound advice about allowing each hero (and maybe a villain or two) to retain a theme that reprises with every subsequent appearance. However, that does not mean there haven't been some truly excellent scores composed, which got side-lined in the clickbaity rush to pronounce Marvel as being formulaic, failing or indeed signifying the baleful death of film.

Here for you now is a compendium of themes and sonic explorations as Phase 3 draws to its epic conclusion and Phases 4 and 5 wend their way from the small screen to the big and back again. I look forward to a third volume of these shows sometime in the early 2030s, when the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Secret Wars and whatever happens with Spider-Man and whatever inevitable soft reboot brings us to a new era of superhero cinema.

1. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (‘Louisiana Hero’ by Henry Jackman)

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (‘Dad’ by Tyler Bates)

3. Spider-Man Homecoming (Michael Giacchino)

4. Thor: Ragnarok (‘Main Title’ by Mark Mothersbourough)

5. Black Panther (‘Wakanda’, ‘Warrior Falls’ and ‘Killmonger’ by Ludwig Goransson)

6. Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)

7. Captain Marvel (‘Main Theme’ and ‘All Fired Up’ by Pinar Toprak)

8. Black Widow (‘Yelena Belova’ and ‘Natasha Soars’ by Lorne Balfe)

9. WandaVision (‘Opening Themes: 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s’ and ‘End Cretids’ by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and Christophe Beck)

10. Loki (Natalie Holt)

11. Shang Chi (Joel P. West)

12. Eternals (Ramin Djawadi)

13. Moon Knight (Hesham Nazih)

14. Ms. Marvel (Laura Karpman)

15. The Marvels (Laura Karpman)

16. Spider-Man: No Way Home (‘Forget-Me-Knots’ by Michael Giaccino)

17. Wakanda Forever (Ludwig Goransson)

18. Guardians Vol. 3 (‘Guardians vs Hallespawn’ / ‘Into the Light’ by John Murphy)

19. Thor Ragnarok Reprised (‘Twilight of the Gods’ & ‘What Heroes Do’ by Mark Mothersbourough)

20. Daredevil (John Paesano)

21. Jessica Jones (Sean Callery)

22. Luke Cage (Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad)

23. Iron Fist (Trevor Morris)

24. Werewolf by Night (Michael Giacchino)

25. Quantumania (Christophe Beck)

26. Agatha All Along (Christopher Beck)

27. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man (The Math Club)

28. Deadpool & Wolverine (‘Bye Bye Bye’ by NSYNC & ‘Like a Prayer Battle Royale Mix’ by Madonna)

29. Avengers: Endgame (‘Portals’, ‘The Real Hero’ and ‘Main on End’ by Alan Silvestri)

The Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Vol. 1 Mar 06, 2025

[School of Everything Else 2017]

NOTE: This is an archival episode from many years ago.

Recently the excellent YouTube series Every Frame a Painting asked members of the public if they could hum any of the music from the Marvel films. Unsurprisingly they couldn't come up with anything. There are a few reasons for this, that I go into on the show, but this presentation right here is crafted to allow everyone to explore the music that has come so far. We laser-focus on the core melodies, the hero themes that were left by the wayside as the series evolved and we showcase the wide range of actually rather brilliant musical moments that have punctuated the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Join me for an epic, three hour musical journey, run through the filter of my brain. By the end, if I've done my job, you'll be able to hum at least one piece of Marvel music.

1. Marvel Logo (Thor: The Dark World)
2. Back in Black – AC/DC (Iron Man)
3. Mark II/Driving With the Top Down/Gulmira - Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man)
4. Iron Man - Black Sabbath (Iron Man)
5. Main Titles - Craig Armstrong (The Incredible Hulk)
6. Thunderstruck - AC/DC (Iron Man 2)
7. Black Widow Kicks Ass/ I Am Iron Man – John Debney (Iron Man 2)
8. Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC (Iron Man 2)
9. Prologue/The Compound/Forgive Me/Thor Kills the Destroyer – Patrick Doyle (Thor)
10. Walk – Foo Fighters (Thor)
11. Main Titles/Farewell to Bucky/The Star Spangled Man/Triumphant Return/Captain America March – Alan Silvestri (Captain America: The First Avenger)
12. Main Titles/Helicarrier/Avengers Assemble/A Promise/End Titles – Alan Silvestri (Avengers Assemble)
13. Live to Rise – Chris Cornel (Avengers Assemble)
14. Main Titles/Can You Dig It? – Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3)
15. End Titles/Into Eternity – Brian Tyler (Thor: The Dark World)
16. Lemurian Star/Project Insight/The Causeway/To the End of the Line/Taking a Stand – Henry Jackman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
17. Soundtrack Medley (Guardians of the Galaxy)
18. The Kyln Escape/Groot Spores/Groot Cocoon (Guardians of the Galaxy)
19. Age of Ultron Theme – Danny Elfman (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
20. Escape - Roger Ayer (Ant-Man)
21. Ant Man Theme – Christophe Beck (Ant-Man)
22. Plainsong – The Cure (Ant-Man)
23. Siberian Overture/Ancestral Call/New Recruit/Closure/Cap’s Promise – Henry Jackman (Captain America: Civil War)
24. Sharks Don’t Sleep – Dean Valentine (Civil War Trailer)
25. New Marvel Fanfare
26. Strange Days Ahead/The Master of the Mystic End Credits – Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange)

Summer 2025 Commissions Season Mar 05, 2025

Hello there folks, this is your official notification that the School of Movies Summer Commissions season window is now open. And it’s a special case this time around. Originally this run was meant to pay for our second family vacation, the last one being back in 2017. We’re going to Italy.

But the week after we booked it our landlord of nine years dropped the bomb on us that he needed to renovate our home, so we’re out by the end of March with all the moving costs and the sudden spike in rent that this is going to entail.

And upon hearing this my computer of nine years decided now was the time to begin a slow collapse. I have been having problems with it for a few years now, but I’m having to replace the whole thing with a brand new workstation that should hopefully last me the best part of a decade. Which means a huge amount of money is to be paid in a very short span of time.

Ergo this window wis open for the foreseeable future. I already have four shows lined up from the earliest of Discord community, but I want to leave this open in the hopes of repairing our shattered finances.

We’re going to be okay, we aren’t going to starve and we won’t be turfed into the street, but every commission will help us right now. So if you have a suggestion get in touch in the usual ways, email, Patreon message, Discord and I guess Bluesky and whatever fascist-platforming mutant helllbeast Twitter has become this week.

Each movie show is a standard of $150 via a single Paypal payment to help us sort and declare everything come tax season, TV and video games cost more, depending on the time and effort required to complete them. I will allow suggestions for anime and comics.

Wish us luck as at the time of publication we have less than a month to leave the only place that has ever felt like a real home and as yet we have no house to move to. What I want is stability and for the way to be clear for us to carry on recording School of Movies every week. That’s my goal for the year. What really should be the watchword for the 21st Century: Sustainability.

The Great Muppet Caper / Muppets Take Manhattan Feb 28, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

The second and third parts of the original Trilogy of Muppet movies made while Jim Henson was alive, voicing Kermit and taking a heavily active role in production.

The former from 1981 is a jewel heist that brings the anarchic furry ones to England, populated by only polite people (a trope which causes the two of us endless amusement) and very much concerns itself with pushing puppetry magic tricks on the big screen to their limits. This one, directed by Jim was in the immense shadow of the original Muppet Movie.

The latter, from 1984 brings them back to New York as college graduates who want to put on a big Broadway musical and run up against the gritty realities of real life (along with a cloyingly cute debut for The Muppet Babies. This more grounded take was directed by Frank Oz and for us it is a commissioned show by Dean R.

Guests:

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two are also part of DiceWeave @DiceWeavePod

Palm Springs Feb 21, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

We round off Groundhog Month with a time loop movie that explores with even more depth how being stuck in a single day would effect a person's outlook on life, their philosophy and their actions.

Taking its cue from the early script idea for what became the Bill Murray classic, we begin by observing a man named Niles, already locked in his time loop, from the point of view of Sarah. She then gets dragged into a loop of her own and finds herself trapped as Maid of Honour for her sister's wedding every single day, a scenario made so much worse due to Sarah's shameful secret. To make matters worse, Niles is also being stalked by the last person he blunderingly marooned in Today; a steaming-mad J.K. Simmons.

It's blackly comic, filthy and thought-provoking with things to say about our existence, and it makes for the ideal existential closer on this topic (for today at least).

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Happy Death Day Feb 14, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

This is not a Horror movie (or rather, it qualifies enough for that genre in terms of certain expected tropes and elements, but that is not its mode of conduct, and for people expecting conventional Horror, there's a lot more there in its place).

That's what should have been on the poster and promotional artwork, and in the trailers, and threaded through the interviews and general marketing speak surrounding this film. Though doing so might have hurt its 25x multiplier as yet another Blumhouse success story.

That misdirection helped it THEN, in 2017, I'm thinking more about helping it NOW in the 2020s, when viewers who do not like Horror genre movies (in particular cruel slasher movies) would almost certainly steer clear of what is actually one of the freshest, funniest star features in recent years, spotlighting Jessica Rothe, an actress of insane range with serious comedic chops.

It is superficially Groundhog Day with a stalking masked killer, but concerns itself less with the gory specifics of womanslaughter and more with the mechanics of trying to get oneself out of a blackly comic and fatal time-loop, as what is built up around the character of college student Tree Gelbman is a much-needed break in her cycle of self-destruction.

And on our Patreon bonus feed this weekend we have a full-length episode on the 2019 sequel; Happy Death Day 2U which leans even harder into the sci-fi, actively forgetting it was pitched as a slasher (and thus only doing seven times its budget at the box office).

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

The Wizard of Oz Feb 07, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

One of history's abiding classics, and one of the oldest films we have ever covered on this show, the 1939 Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland is joined here with several key points of comparison to establish why it really hold up.

We've already recorded a whole episode on the dark, late sequel, Return to Oz (1985) though it does get mentioned here, as well as Jon M Chu's 2024 cinematic adaptation of the first act of the Wicked stage musical.

But we also invoke the original book, written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, reference the tumultuous filming process by MGM, the toll it took on Judy Garland, as seen in the 2019 biopic Judy. And finally we sing the praises of The Wiz (1978) a valiant effort to make this story relevant to black America. One thing is clear, this is the most I've ever enjoyed talking about Wizard of Oz, and a lot of that comes from having the ever-insightful Willow on as a guest.

Next week it's Happy Death Day (2017). You can listen without watching the movie but definitely make plans to see the movie! And we have a rather important announcement to make at the end of this one.

Groundhog Day Jan 31, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

We’ve been holding this episode back for a special occasion and it seems like 2025 'The year of Joy' is the time to finally crack into one of the richest and most universally gratifying films in history. A hundred years from now, people will still be watching this film, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Shawshank Redemption.

Accompanying us in this time loop journey from mundane resentment to confusion, to panic, to exploitation, to emptiness, to the nadir of self-destruction, to the revelation of reflection, to the zenith of living to enrich the lives of others, and thus experience repletion is Jesse Ferguson. Jesse is one of the few guests we know who can comprehend the knottiest of time-travel conundrums whilst fully understanding that the story at the heart of what's being told is far more important than any speculative, temporal shenanigans.

Plus Bill Murray is a hoot, this is his best film, as well as being the finest offering from his friend and director Harold Ramis. It is endlessly memorable, profound, and touches upon a universality of shared experience. We are all alone, and we are all together.

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Jan 24, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

The first Dungeons & Dragons movie emerged in the year 2000, wildly underachieving in every department; characters, story, screenplay, costumes, technical proficiency, directorial flair, casting, scope, music, awareness of what it was adapting, sense of humour and dragons! All of these things were straight-to-video grade. It was, in effect the anti-Lord of the Rings, a year before that masterpiece-containing-masterpieces raised the bar impossibly high.

23 years later, on the 49th anniversary, Honour Among Thieves emerged to empty theatres for various reasons I will be going into in my opening monologue. Among other notions broached, there is an imperative upon us to redefine success.

And our packed adventuring party are all here to do just that, and gush about this hidden gem, this buried treasure that knocks it out of the park in all the departments named above. This is a special episode where we get to talk about exactly why Honour Among Thieves is precious, and the unseen, Lego Movie-style subtext of these events.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Make Me Watch It

Chris Finik @finmonster09

The Muppet Movie Jan 17, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

In the name of joy, this year we are looking back across every Muppet movie we haven't yet covered, starting right here with the original 1979 film. For perspective, Jim Henson had made two successful TV shows up to this point, the well-known Muppet Show, which began in 1976 and was in the middle of its third season when this was being made, but before that, a weird series of little black and white skits called "Sam and Friends" which aired beginning in 1955.

We recruited Muppet experts Mackenzie and Nathan Eastram to delve into the story of how Henson and company got to this place, as well as extolling the copious virtues of this instantly melancholy little tale about fame and dreamers, and money-men, crammed with celebrity cameos, none of which your five year old will recognise. Some of which are legendary comedy figureheads of the 20th century that I had to look up, and I'm in my mid-40s!

Guests:

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two are also part of DiceWeave @DiceWeavePod

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Jan 10, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

An extremely long-awaited show on a game-changer of a blockbuster movie.

The first Pirates film, released in 2003 before Lord of the Rings had completed brought the world many things: A fantabulous extravaganza of practical effects, combined with a surprisingly light smattering of digital VFX that would be leaned into a lot harder later down the line, The notion that the swashbuckler could still do big business (the hidden caveat was that Johnny Depp being strange absolutely must be present) Keira Knightley as a leading lady, Gore Verbinski as a major director, the supposition that audiences would flock to cinematic adaptations of Disney park rides (they won't, just this one. See above regarding Johnny Depp) and Geoffrey Rush as an all-time iconic big-screen presence embodying the most consistently enjoyable pirate of all time.

But there's more going on, beneath the frothing surface, a fantastically witty, urbane and efficient script by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, one of the greatest scores ever composed (in a shockingly short amount of time) and Orlando Bloom's character actually being quite good, especially when held against Jack Davenport's Lawful Neutral Commodore James Norrington.

This was a commission for Lincoln Alpern and features clips from the best audiodrama I've ever composed; Panther Soul, and the first chapter of the brand new Dracula adaptation Castle of the Moon.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Make Me Watch It

The Mask Jan 03, 2025

[School of Movies 2025]

We begin the new year as we mean to go on; joyfully. This is a commissioned episode for Alejandra Vargas. Back in 1994 Jim Carrey was having the most amazing year in cinema that he would EVER have, pretty much redefining what people wanted with madcap comedy for that era. Rubber-faced and bellowing catchphrases. This thing should have aged terribly after more than thirty years.

But it hasn't, in fact it feels like a key precursor to the superhero boom round the corner, whilst challenging the contemporary crop of Batman and his imitators. It's also genuinely funny and eminently quotable (with gusto, when you're doing it) and pulls off a neat double-reversal of feminine characters in a way that doesn't feel cynical at all. A 'Nice Guy' story that didn't make us grimace, a bit with a dog... and that flippin'. toe-tappin' swing soundtrack!

Ultraman Rising Dec 27, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

You don't need to know a single thing about Ultraman to love this film.

We brought in Kaiju and Sentai expert Dan Hoeppner to educate us along with you, regarding the history and cultural background of this character, but the film itself, viewable on Netflix is an absolutely perfect starting point. It is a smashing standalone story about the son of Ultraman, who grew up to be not especially great in the role himself, and instead pursued his mother's passion, becoming a baseball player. He's selfish and arrogant, not a team player, and has estranged himself from his widowed father, Hayao, with neither of them finding fulfilment.

Then Kenji had an adorable, ginormous baby space dragon dropped into his lap, and he's about to find out that being a Dad is harder than it looks.

It also sits confidently alongside the most gorgeous, dynamic and thrilling animated films of recent years, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Sea Beast and even the hallowed Spider-Verse.

This one was commissioned by Thomas Meehan, and we're so glad he prompted us into tackling it now and not holding back because it felt too intimidatingly special. Sometimes we need that fire lit under us.

Guest:

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 of Leftover Army Monsters

A Christmas Story Dec 20, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Mostly overlooked when released in cinemas in 1983, it took nearly a decade for Ted Turner to realise this thing was funny as hell, authentic, heart-warming, and a little dark and twisted, only to then screen it hundreds of times on his many networks until America was both in love with the movie and thoroughly sick of it!

Meanwhile the rest of the world is unaware of its existence, and Sharon and I as the only two Brits in on this Yankee secret would like to both illuminate its qualities for the listening world outside of North America and Canada, AND remind you folks who do live there and groan every time you hear that another 24-hour marathon of screening this thing back to back is due, quite how good it really is.

It's not often we cover straightforward comedies on this show. It's tricky to explain how or why something is funny without stepping on the gag itself, so think of this as a testbed for potential future episodes on comedies.

To folks on Patreon; I finished the Winnie the Pooh sequel novel; it's REALLY good, and I'll get it edited with Sharon and send out copies for you folks to read around Christmas Day! Thank you for waiting so patiently.

The Rocketeer Dec 13, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

A story ripped straight from the pages of Golden Age comic books, as dastardly gangsters and Nazis on the rise seek out a secret rocket pack that has fallen into the hands of a well-meaning, square-jawed chap who accidentally becomes something of a superhero. Starring a moustache-twirling Timothy Dalton, a luminous Jennifer Connelly, along with Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin and Paul Sorvino, this is a favourite of many of our listeners and was commissioned by Sarah Montgomery.

We kick off a Christmas season of commissions, and considering how stressful November was for everyone, we have decided to set the tone for 2025 by seeking out pure joy. They will be movies we will love talking about enthusiastically, and focusing on to bring you folks a measure of weekly happiness in a dark time.

The ones we have chosen for this December all seem to have that joy in common, as well as an old fashioned sensibility. We have A Christmas Story coming up next week, then Ultraman Rising, then at New Year's we have The Mask, and to see in January it's Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl!

Sunshine Dec 06, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This is an exceptionally long-awaited episode for us. One of the very first films discussed on our very first episode, way back in April 2007, mentioned repeatedly in the intervening 17 years, and promised over and over.

Now we finally reach it, one of the most special and meaningful films to us.

It was directed by Danny Boyle after 28 Days later but before Slumdog Millionaire. It very overtly draws inspiration from Aliens and 2001, it stars Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Hiroyuki Sanada Cliff Curtis, Benedict Wong and Mark Strong. It was written by Alex Garland, scored by John Murphy and Underworld, it made one twentieth the box office of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.

...and it is quite literally BRILLIANT.

The First Hour and Seven Minutes of Oppenheimer Dec 05, 2024

[School of Movies 2023]

[This was originally released in the summer of 2023. We have subsequently seen every inch of Oppenheimer... we stand by what is said here.]

I think this will be the only piece I create about Oppenheimer (2023). You definitely do not have to have seen it and I won't be saying anything that could be considered a plot spoiler.

This is dark, upsetting, heavy and much shorter than our usual Main Event shows. It was intended to be an After School Club, but in the inception it grew and expanded in gravity, density and ferocity, and while there is an aspect that feels self-destructive, I consider it important enough to release to the whole world. Let history decide.

Interstellar Nov 29, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Nolan-Vember comes to a close as we handle possibly his most emotionally-driven film. Drawing heavily from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Contact (two films we've already covered) Nolan presented the most populist blockbuster version of the speculative possibilities of what happens when a human being goes tear-assing into a black hole.

This is very much our wheelhouse when it comes to the philosophical quandary of Stay or Go, regarding an increasingly uninhabitable planet Earth. So, the conclusions reached in this grand, cosmic, time-dilating cathedral of a smash-hit matter a great deal. And there are definitely elements we love about this one... but in consequence of Nolan's handling and points of focus there are also things that drive us crazier than HAL 9000 speed-dating GLaDOS.

Fortunately, there is a film that forms a perfect sparring partner with this one; Danny Boyle's Sunshine (2007). One twentieth as successful with general audiences, but it handles very similar techno-philosophical and theological concepts in a way that hits devastatingly hard with us... and that long-awaited show is coming next week.

I chose to close out this month on the astonishing music of Hans Zimmer, live from Prague with a full orchestra, celebrating his scores for Nolan in this, in Inception and in the Dark Knight Trilogy.

The Dark Knight Rises Nov 29, 2024

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

NOTE: This is a reissued episode from over 12 years ago. Please forgive the lower production values and boneheaded things I say.

The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s game-changing Dark Knight Trilogy. It’s definitely not as straightforward as film two in the series because many people hate this film already, and an equal amount adore every inch of it.

It’s a tricky balancing act since so much of the most well-crafted and exceptional elements have already been discussed over three and a half hours reviewing Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Neither did I want this turning into a hail of disproportionate vitriol over perceived flaws.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Taylor Nova of TheKiddDogg

James Carter of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Inception Nov 22, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Nolan-Vember evolves to a whole new stage of the man's career, as following the billion-dollar success of The Dark Knight in 2008 he became a household name. This 2010 film, after The Prestige, just four years earlier garnered a mere $109m at the box office totally flipped the landscape of possibility in cerebral blockbuster cinema.

It netted an astonishing $839m, signalling to Hollywood that here was an auteur who could open a summer movie that wasn't based on comics or toys, wasn't a remake or a sequel, a reboot or a prequel or even an adaptation of a book, a play, a fable a video game or a TV show. This was a standalone tale written by the director himself, and that a huge audience now wanted to be taken to the places they recognised him as capable of taking them, mentally, emotionally, and in terms of how intense Hans Zimmer's BWAAAAAAAAAAAAA got; physically.

But that doesn't mean that this evolution of Christopher Nolan works for Sharon and I. In fact, from this point on he royally cheeses our onions!

The Dark Knight Nov 22, 2024

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

NOTE: This is a reissued episode from over 12 years ago. Please forgive the lower production values and boneheaded things I say.

Part two of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Following the powerful set-up of Batman Begins, the production team pulled out all the stops to deliver an epic crime thriller in the style of Michael Mann’s Heat. This is a story of a city in turmoil and a police force struggling to keep order, up against the ruthless mob. At the center are Batman and The Joker, forces of nature representing order and chaos. The only hope for Gotham may in fact be the White Knight, district attorney Harvey Dent.

But you all know this, because everybody and his dog saw this movie back in 2008. I just wanted to set the scene a little. Much is discussed, especially Heath Ledger’s extraordinary performance, but not forgetting the brilliant turns from Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal and the possible career-high score from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Taylor Nova of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

The Prestige Nov 15, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Nolan-Vember continues with Christopher's fifth film. Now, you would think, following the momentous success of Batman Begins, his period piece about feuding magicians that remains one of his best tricks to date would have been a stellar success... Wolverine's Hugh Jackman versus Dark Knight Christian Bale, and for the low, low price of $40 million; this is a recipe for insane box office gross from the man who would eventually go toe to toe with the plastic pink lady and save cinema in 2023. However, it garnered a paltry $109m from a general audience who in 2006 would far rather go see The Da Vinci Code, Night at the the Museum and the dancing penguins of Happy Feet (also Borat was popular; my wife).

This means the odds are a high percentage of our listeners have not seen this film. We would urge you all to do so at once. Spend a proper evening with a big TV in a darkened living rom with the volume high and intense. This is not a film to catch in ten minute chunks on your phone, nor to pass by at Blockbuster on your way to grab Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.

An atmosphere thicker than a whale-omelette, twin obsessions to be the best conjurer the Victorian era had going, spies, stolen encoded journals, Gothic secrets and tragedy, David Bowie doing a Serbian accent as Nikola Tesla, the wizard on the mountain, murder after murder... this film will stick to you like your shadow.

Batman Begins Nov 15, 2024

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

NOTE: This is a reissued episode from over 12 years ago. Please forgive the lower production values and boneheaded things I say.

Finally we get to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. After eight years away from cinema screens, and multiple stalled attempts at relaunching the franchise, Warner Bros knocked the Bat out of the park with the best film so far and arguably the most compelling and mature adaptation of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego.

Many aspects are discussed and deconstructed including Christian Bale’s intense portrayal, ace cinematographer Wally Pfister’s erotic endeavours and why Hollywood on paper is a senile, avaricious old psychopath.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Taylor Nova of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Edwards of Eyrie City

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Memento Nov 08, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Kicking off Nolan-Vember with a tale of obsession, revenge and the untrustworthy, ephemeral nature of memory. Things play out in nonlinear fashion as Nolan executes his second film with the deft surety of a man who can see the final arrangement within all the misaligned frames.

Guy Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, a man afflicted with a rare brain disorder that resets his short-term memory every five to ten minutes or so, with his mid and long-term memories almost completely blank, following a terrible tragedy.

For those of you feeling alone and scared right now, we will do our very best to keep on making utterly engrossing podcasts over the next few hard years. Whatever helps listeners get through the goddamn day is a job well done.

Guest:

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door

Beetlejuice Nov 01, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

A perennial Halloween favourite for our family, this was Tim Burton's Sophomore effort, after his debut with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure but before he became a Hollywood Titan with Batman (starring Beetlejuice). And I know we give him a hard time a lot, as a purveyor of populist Goth chic to the masses, but when he hits right you get this movie.

And it really does hold up after three and a half decades. Possibly because it's so much fun and so child-friendly that new generations can embrace this ghostly monster party every few years, giving it an evergreen quality. Certainly Willow has loved it since they were tiny, and goes into why on this episode with us. Each member of the cast and crew are firing on all cylinders. It's visually stunning, wickedly gruesome, wildly quotable and utterly hilarious.

And this weekend we get to visit the messy but enjoyable 2024 sequel for the Patreon bonus podcast feed.

Horror is a Spice Oct 25, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This is a special episode I've been planning for many years, ever since the notion that 'Horror' as we know it is largely a marketing construct, and that stories that deliberately jab at our Fear-response can be found pretty much everywhere.

This is why I decided to go with my favourite metaphor; food) and hone in on the precept that Horror is not a story type, but a spice (or indeed a series of differently flavoured spices with differing properties) that can be sprinkled in lightly or ladled in heavily to produce wildly varying results.

This would be why de facto Horror film series' like Friday the 13th don't frighten me in the slightest, but Shallow Grave, which would be classified as a Thriller in cinematic terms, chilled me to my core, and why the most frightening film I ever saw isn't in the Horror genre at all!

We and our guests work our way up the scary Scoville Scale (the Screamville scale) to establish some genuinely thought-provoking new, fresh and flavourful perspectives, accompanied by some of the greatest and most spine-tingling movie music of all time!

SOM Winter Commissions Season Oct 24, 2024

The window for our Winter Commissions season is now open.

Coming up this October we have shows on the first two Psycho films, (as well as touching on the ill-advised Gus Van Sant 1998 remake of the Hitchcock original.) Then a long-planned episode discussing the Horror genre in a new light. And finally on Halloween, we got us a hot, steaming bowl of Beetlejuice.

Following that we have Nolan-Vember, from the makers of Cloon-June. Sharon and I will be talking about four of his films on the Main Event feed: Memento, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, and on the Patreon bonus feed we will have After School Clubs on Tenet, Insomnia, Following and Dunkirk.

Then in December we are going back to the animated X-Men with shows about ‘97 and maybe more.

So that leaves January open for four episodes chosen by four of you. Again, the standard fee is $150 for a movie, more for TV, comics or video games because of the increased time and energy investment. And as always, it’s not first come, first served, it’s the four we think will make for the best shows.

These places tend to fill up very fast, usually within a few days, so get in touch via email, Patreon messaging, Discord, or even twitter, if anybody still uses that hellsite. And we can negotiate these shows into reality.

Psycho II Oct 18, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This was a commissioned episode for Dean R who was very keen for us to examine this 1983 follow-up to the 1960 classic. This film brings back Anthony Perkins after Norman has served his time and behaved well in crazy-jail, with the 'Mother' persona seemingly dormant.

But now we, as the audience may find ourselves strangely onside with the mild-mannered, respectful man, seemingly genuinely trying to go straight, and surrounded by people who want to give this multiple-murderer a piece of their mind (knock it off, idiots, it's crowded enough in there!).

Meg Tilly (sister of Chucky's bride, Jennifer) plays Mary, a down-on-her-luck waitress whom Norman really seems to want to help back onto her feet, as this torrid story circles into an operatic and tragic conclusion. We close out with a synopsis of the entirely unrelated book "Psycho 2" by Robert Bloch; a novel so hated by the studio that they made their own sequel here.

Psycho Oct 11, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

For this rather special episode, we firstly welcome to the show for the first time, director Alfred Hitchcock, as we examine his most famous and most revisited film, Psycho (1960). This became the wellspring from which modern-day detective thrillers emerged. But it also has tangled roots in Horror and the grubby stepchild of its sub-genres, the slasher. While other films like Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter (1955) and John Lee Thompson's Cape Fear (1962) -both weirdly starring Robert Mitchum- were also hugely important, Psycho was less about the stalking killer as it was a torrid dive into the swampy waters of their mind.

Deriving from a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch, who lived down the road from Ed Gein as he was being arrested for trying to make a woman-suit, this story, along with Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs (1988) assisted greatly in the lurid, pulp sensationalism of the twisted deviant killer-man-in-a-dress mythology. Despite quiet, clear, firm, researched and experienced protestations from trans folk and their allies who keep having to remind the world at large that they aren't toilet-lurking monsters.

We also look at the stunningly ill-advised shot-for-shot remake of the Hitchcock film, directed in 1998 by Gus Van Sant. Superficially, these are exactly the same film, but the devil is in the details. Next week we will be returning to Bates Motel with the far less well-known, but actually pretty good Psycho II, which more pronouncedly paints Norman as a victim.

Godzilla Minus One Oct 04, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

If New Empire is the best Kong film, this one qualifies for us as the best Japanese Godzilla film. Kaiju fans are being blessed with an embarrassment of riches in this era (check out the charming and dazzling animated Ultraman Rising for even more of this) and there has never been a better time to wrap your head around why this enormous nuclear lizard is such an enduring icon in his home country.

Journeying back to the 1954 original Gojira, this film re-stages those events in different ways that even more deeply parallel a nation reeling from the mass-traumatic aftermath of World War II. Right now these people are at zero in terms of ability to cope, and Godzilla is set to slam them back even further to minus one (I didn't come up with that, some YouTube channel obsessing over his toughness stats did, but it's rather good).

And yet, while this could be another funerial and mournful lamentation of death and destruction, and abandonment by our leaders, the disgraced kamikaze pilot at the centre doesn't so much have to regain his honour as recognise the value of his own continued existence. This film is life-affirming and helmed by my favourite Japanese director who isn't Hayao Miyazaki; the magnificently gifted and humane Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First, Stand by Me, Doraemon 1 & 2, Dragon Quest: Your Story)

Guest:

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 of Leftover Army Monsters

Kong X Godzilla: The New Empire Sep 27, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Fixed the title on this one, to both distinguish it from 2021s Godzilla vs. Kong, AND to give the rightful prominence to the Great Ape whose movie this most definitely is. Willow suggested the original title would be as misleading as "Loki x Thor: Ragnarok".

This is my favourite of the new MonsterVerse films, by a narrow margin, considering Godzilla II: King of the Monsters is still absolutely magnificent. Just like that 2019 entry, it's also one of my favourite films of the year, for reasons I will elaborate upon in depth here.

Rejoining us for this Hollow-Earth saga of deposing one of several gorilla dictators we've seen on the big screen this year is the chap who knows more about kaiju films than I know about not treading upon the sensitive tootsies of Godzilla fans, who will hopefully be happy to hear we will be back next week for the incredible new Japanese film, 'Minus One'!

Guest:

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 of Leftover Army Monsters

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Sep 20, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

The initial and glowingly positive reviews are coming in for Transformers One this week. It's the first entirely-animated Transformers movie since the infamous Optimus-Prime-slaughtering 'The Transformers: The Movie' in 1986, and I am happy and hopeful for the future in that regard.

But what of the state of the live action films? The fifth and final Michael Bay-directed mess was The Last Knight in 2017, which did almost HALF the box office of the obscenely successful Age of Extinction in 2014. Then came Bumblebee in 2018, very purposefully different in tone from the leery MacGuffin hunts of the Bay films. It made less again, despite being the only one with heart and soul.

Then in 2023, this seventh entry sought to split the difference with a return to the MacGuffin hunt and big, noisy robot battles of the earlier entries, but with an injection of the humanity and spark of Bumblebee.

This episode contains a bonus; the previously Patreon-exclusive exploration of my re-edits of the five Bayformers. What, if anything can be saved from that towering mountain of extremely lucrative scrap!?

Deadpool & Wolverine Sep 13, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

One of the biggest films of the year, and the greatest success for the MCU... which weirdly seems to avoid going anywhere near Earth 616, instead acting as either a swansong for the X-Men series, begun in the year 2000, or possibly a phoenix-cry. It really depends on how Marvel handles the Mutants in the next few years.

However, as a focused distillation of some of the greatest strengths of those 13 movies this one succeeds where so many others fail, not by being eye-rollingly insincere, as many publications have asserted disapprovingly, but by balancing (not always magnificently) the snarcasm and fourth-wall assault and battery of the irrepressible Deadpool, once again using humour to mask his pain and anxiety, and the impeccably serious and authentic Hugh Jackman, playing the ruin this Wolverine's life has become entirely straight.

It's a grower and a shower. In a year otherwise mercifully cape-free, it straps on the spandex in the most form-fitting of ways.

Guests:

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Almost Famous Sep 06, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This one is special on a level I am going to find challenging to articulate in a medium as clumsy as the written word. It is a show that has been promised for well over a decade, it took me four recording sessions and a protracted edit over the month of August. It is so densely and richly layered that I would put it in the same category as our shows on Guillermo del Toro and the Lord of the Rings (ironic, since that was the book the writer/director used to convince his mother Alice Crowe that rock music wasn't all just sex and drugs).

This is the fourth film from Cameron Crowe, after Say Anything, Singles and Jerry Maguire, and you will hear in this show just how much his autobiographical experiences and outlook on the world influenced and resonated with me in the late 90s and early 2000s, in a way that has absolutely informed upon not only my character, personality, writing, editing and philosophy, but the way I engage with music itself. Put simply, this movie goes beyond masterpiece and becomes an experience like no other.

Grab your biggest clamshell headphones, get away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, and immerse yourself in a time period most of us were not present for. A time between the late 60s and early 70s when art and commercialism were engaged in war for our collective attention. One would nourish our spirit, the other would fixate upon our money. This is the story of a 15 year old boy who somehow convinced Rolling Stone Magazine he was a credible music journalist and went on tour with some of the greatest rock bands who have ever mounted the stage.

And it is, on so many levels... True.

FELLAS... Is it Gay to...? Aug 30, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This is a very special episode, and might be a lot of folk's favourite of the year.

What is a “FELLAS…” scenario?

It feels like most of us will have encountered them in the wild as we doomscroll our way through the doldrums of the Misinformation Age. Simply put, it’s when a man asks other men if it is in fact gay to do something in particular, OR it is when a man (and a very cis man at that) makes an empirical statement pronouncing something in particular that a man shouldn’t do as now the act of a gay man. Invariably these somethings in particular are laughably commonplace and the aversion to them is rendered tragicomic as a result.

These turn up in our Discord channel, usually in the 'Bad Reviews Against Humanity' thread. Discord members Tripas, Alejandra Vargas, Chris Finik, Greg Downing, Selfproclaimed, Toby Skeels-Jungius and TransientModeLincoln worked diligently to compile several years worth into one organised list. And we brought in the now-16-year-old Willow Shaw to help us read them all aloud.

Star Trek: Prodigy Aug 23, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This was a commissioned show for Tylor and Chris Finik. It covers the first two seasons of this animated show which can be found on Netflix, Paramount+ and Nickelodeon. You can listen to the whole thing without fear of anything being made worse, and we keep a lot of secrets and surprises under wraps since statistically most of you won't have seen this.

On first inspection it might seem like Star Trek for Babies or Star Trek: Rebels, however, spend some time with it and you'll find a show that is not only a splendid introduction to this seminal mythology, but a fine new way of looking at The Federation from the outside, wrapped around some exceptional and emotionally-driven character-focused science fiction.

The short of it is, seven young misfits on the run in a stolen Federation starship prototype. There's a threat coming from the future and they have to get the warning to Earth in time. What they become is exemplary of what intergalactic peacekeeping could be, in the hands of those who have not yet been morally compromised. It's excellent and you will have fun hearing why.

Dazed and Confused Aug 16, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

What is a "hangout movie"?

It's a film that concerns itself far less with telling one grand, overall story of one or two people's development or journey, and far more on literally spending time with the ensemble cast of characters. In this show I draw the comparison between the characters we see here and animals in a safari park, but I don' mean they are simply placed there for our amusement, and don't matter. What I mean here is that we are experiencing a world based on memory and authentic experiences being described to us through the medium of what might be a dopey comedy where nothing happens.

It is the last day of school in Texas 1976, America is at a fragile place and the young people, following the mess of the Vietnam war, the betrayal of their government and under increased scrutiny from adults just itching to banish them from Civilisation if they so much as inhale a wisp of pot smoke. This is Richard Linklater's second film, his first under the critical eye of a studio with financial priorities... and it is a sweltering, comforting place to return to, filled with characters both lovable and scummy, jut trying to party before life breaks them.

It also has one of the top five curated soundtracks of all time.

Damsel Aug 09, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This is a special show for Chris Finik. It would have been a relatively straightforward endeavour for Sharon and I to delve into this one. It's a story that feels familiar and contains many of our very favourite elements; A betrayed lady thriving on her own untapped resourcefulness with help from a chain of women begun long ago, a dragon with an AMAZING voice and a Royal Family squatting on an exploitative predatory system that all needs to be burned down. Plus, we love Millie Bobby Brown.

But we went one further, twisting around to examine the novelisation by Evelyn Skye, based on the early screenplay by Dan Mazeau. Both versions are lacking in certain departments, which the other compensates for... but there's some crazy business that folks who have only seen the film on Netflix will definitely want to know.

Avatar: The Rise of Kyoshi Aug 02, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This was a commissioned show for Self AKA Selfproclaimed. Ever since The Legend of Aang wrapped in 2008 there have been comics expanding upon what followed the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. This, however, was a pair of books; 'The Rise of Kyoshi' and 'The Shadow of Kyoshi' detailing what occurred four centuries prior to the adventures of Team Aang.

And the 2019-2020 release of these two novels, penned by F.C. Yee with consultancy from co-creator of Avatar Michael Dante DiMartino was met with wild adulation. Both books have astronomical five star reviews on Amazon, with more than 9K ratings corroborating that.

What I personally got from the books was a lot more of a mixed bag. There is amazing potential here, however, not all of it was fulfilled. Luckily we also have longtime friend of the show Nama Chibitty on, to counterpoint my hang-ups.

And this episode launches on the same day as School of Movies unveils the second in our series of short story anthologies, written by members of the community. 'Shared Footprints on Crossed Pathways' is the follow-up to 'The Lights from Distant Bonfires' in 2022. This collection sees legendary public domain characters like Sherlock Holmes, Winnie the Pooh, Zorro, The Phantom of the Opera, Captain Nemo, Cthulhu, Minnie Mouse, Don Quixote, Scheherazade, Tarzan and King Kong meeting up and examining one another's worldviews. Each story given a beautiful illustration by Nama's sister Bunny Boughamer.

The paperback is available here

Klonoa Jul 26, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This was a commissioned show for Dean R who just happens to sit at the ideal age to have discovered Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Vale on PlayStation 2 in 2001 as a kid. After it had a profound effect upon him, he went back to examine the original Klonoa: Door to Phantomile on PS1 from 1996.

And while these puzzle-platformers with their poochified, Sonic-looking rabbit/cat thing might on first inspection hold nothing of particular interest I was glad to have been contracted to dig deeper. There's an existential element beneath the surface that left a lot of kids bewildered, introspective, maybe even depressed.

And I played through both games in their Phantasy Reverie Switch remakes (as well as completing the original on PS1, part of the second on PS2 and the ill-fated first remake of the original on Nintendo Wii, that many Klonoa fans HATE for resons we will go into.

So, strap in, grab your ring, and do not trust your friends, they're lying to you!

No One Will Save You Jul 19, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This is a commissioned show for Chris Finik. And unlike the marketing for this straight-to-Hulu film our show is going to be a little more mysterious about the details, because it definitely was worth going in completely ignorant like we did. I even made some arresting artwork for this episode to better convey that this is not your regular thriller. If you have Disney+ that's your evening.

It's a silent movie, and I say that as A Quiet Place: Day One is doing quite well in theatres, and having watched the Mel Brooks comedy "Silent Movie" (1976) only last night. It keeps us, the audience in a state of tense, breathless isolation along with intense and extremely compelling leading lady Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Justified, Dear Even Hansen) as Brynn.

Directed by Brian Duffield, writer of The Babystitter (2017) and its sequel, both of which we liked, along with Love and Monsters (2020) an under-watched Lockdown gem on Netflix. This gentleman is one to watch.

Beavis & Butt-Head Do America Jul 12, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

After many years of thinking about how to tackle these two absolute idiots, we found the best angle for us. Ostensibly this is about the 1996 movie, which still holds up today and makes for an appealing, surprisingly general-audience-friendly and brisk hour and 21-minute comedy. This is an achievement, considering their extremely sketchy first incarnation as a pair of cruelly observed Texas teenagers being horrible to frogs.

What Sharon and I do here is fill out the absence of texture in this rare 2D American-animated adult(ish) film by delving into who the boys are, and their pitiful background, as portrayed in various key episodes of the original show, which ran for only four years, but made two comebacks -both solid- with the current one still ongoing on Paramount Plus (which means most people can't see it, or the 2022 sequel movie which propels them into the 21st Century).

If you HATE Beavis & Butt-Head this podcast probably won't change your mind, but if you have never delved into this grubby world or indeed have some fond memories from their mid-90s heyday we may bring you a persistent giggle.

10 Recommended Beavis & Butt-Head Episodes to Watch

No Laughing (S2E12)
The Great Cornholio (S4E31)
Prank Call (S6E13)
Walkathon (S5E7)
Butt Flambé (S7E28)
Candy Sale (S5E23)
Werewolves of Highland (S8E1)
Dumb Design (S8E12)
It’s a Miserable Life (S6E8)
Choke (S5E4)

Out of Sight Jul 05, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Cloon June finally comes to a close with a magnificent romantic thriller, written by Elmore Leonard, the author of Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma and Rum Punch, which became Jackie Brown. This one hit at the tail end of the 90s, and became a significant landmark in the careers of George Clooney, director Steven Soderbergh and George's co-star, a relative newcomer named Jenifer Lopez.

Deliberately stylised to evoke the crime thrillers of the 1970s, we do time with smooth-talking bank robber Jack Foley, finally hitting a point of realisation that he is going to die of old age in prison. However, in striking out against that eventuality with an audacious piggybacked prison jailbreak he crosses paths with Karen Sisco, a U.S. Marshal with a shotgun and a Chanel Suit. Against all odds, after spending time in the trunk of a getaway car, the two of them wind up separated, with thoughts dwelling on each other. Karen pursues Jack from Miami to Detroit, but does she want to lock him up forever or bed him and find herself a new way of life?

This absolute cherished favourite has been hugely influential on my work, especially The Princess Thieves: Available on Bandcamp.

Tomorrowland Jun 28, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Initially we were going to cover this 2015 movie as the After School Club to close out Cloon June, but the more we delved into it, the more weighty and disturbingly messy it became.

From the mind of visionary animated filmmaker Brad Bird (Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol) comes a movie based on a themed area of Disneyland from 1955 which envisioned a great big beautiful Tomorrow. Now, 60-70 years later, having arrived at a mild dystopia, how can we reconcile what our grandparents thought the Future would be like, against what we've had building up around us our whole lives?

The YouTube channels featured in this episode include. (but are not limited to...)

Jenny Nicholson
Climate Town
and Undecided with Matt Ferrell

We recommend you subscribe to all three, and specifically track down those latter two videos featured to get full links to ways that you can proceed with the concepts discussed.

Next week: Out of Sight closes out Cloon-June in Clooni-July.

Ocean's 11, 12, 13 and 8 Jun 21, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Cloon June continues with the slickest and arguably best Las Vegas heist movie. This 2001 remake of the underachieving 1960 Rat Pack original is less about establishing characters with any kind of arc and more about setting up the perfect mousetrap with eleven skilled individuals we can have fun with. It's a big old magic trick, with the prestige reveal to us, the audience being the punch that makes it satisfying.

We weren't going to cover the sequels on the main feed, but we got curious and delved back into 12 and 13 for the first time since the cinema in 2004 and 2007, finding most of the best drama in there. And finally, a re-edit of our 2018 After School Club on Ocean's 8, featuring Toby Jungius.

Finally, we round off with a dream-team cast pitch for a rebooted Ocean's 9. Next week, we make an unscheduled stop at Tomorrowland, to see what Brad Bird thinks of the future we wound up in. After that, extending Cloon June into July, Soderburgh and Clooney, along with Jennifer Lopez and composer David Holmes hit their absolute cinematic peaks with Out of Sight.

From Dusk till Dawn Jun 14, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Cloon June, the month dedicated to George Clooney movies continues apace with his first significant lead part after over a decade of appearances in shonky Z-List horror and then two years of his breakout role in E.R. as eminently desirable paediatrician Doctor Ross. This is a firestorm of a counterpoint to that gentle healer, fugitive thief Seth Gecko is a deeply angry man, though he is a charming picnic next to his monstrous brother.

This episode is also an intersection between two director-seasons we have in preparation, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Rarely has a collaborative movie been made that is such an appealingly riotous showcase of the distinct styles of two auteurs, whilst being humbly grimy, memorably quotable, and so very excited just to exist.

WARNING: This movie is nasty, and we will be discussing sexual assault, extreme violence, florid language and Quentin being a weird creep.

One Fine Day Jun 07, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

It's not often we handle romantic comedies, but this one has more going on beneath the surface. With particular emphasis placed on the back and forth script, fast-flowing, overlapping dialogue and highly quotable, this extremely 90s movie showcases one of the most appealing onscreen couples in cinema history; Batman & Catwoman.

Two single parents, one an irresponsible fun-time Dad, the other juggling career and motherhood furiously, find themselves and their kids entangled during a rainy, chaotic Manhattan workday that threatens to drive them all insane..

It also kicks off "Cloon-June", four weeks of George Clooney's early forays into acting on film. Coming up we have From Dusk Till Dawn, Out of Sight and a mystery fourth movie. He's always been one of my favourite actors, he had a lot to prove at this stage in his career, and it ties in with Pride month as he was kind of the celebrity in the 90s that most guys would shruggingly admit to maybe crushing on.

Red Eye May 31, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Another unexpected Commission that came out of nowhere. Big thank you to Dean R for requisitioning this. Far less well-known in Wes Craven's body of work than the slashers, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, this one is going outside his comfort zone.

Starting out like a romantic comedy, an aspect highlighted in the trailer, starring the stunning and wildly talented young actors Rachel McAdams (fresh from Mean Girls and The Notebook) and Cillian Murphy (recently of 28 Days Later, and about to play Jonathan Crane in Batman Begins) this movie turns a corner at the beginning of Act 2 and becomes a taut, tense, claustrophobic, dialogue-based Hitchcokian thriller.

As it happens, this is Sharon's favourite of ALL of Craven's body of work, and you will find out why in this extremely enthusiastic episode.

Hazbin Hotel (Season 1) May 24, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This was a show that was recommended to us a few times, but then wound up an unexpected commissioned episode. Compounding this, Willow has been a lover of this crazy, twisted, queer-friendly HELL for years, since the pilot surfaced on YouTube. They had already seen all eight episodes of Amazon's 2024 first season, and considering a now maturing and emotionally complex Gen Z is the target audience for this, we got Willow on as our special guest.

For the majority of you that haven't delved into Hazbin Hotel (or its brother-series Helluva Boss), it is an animated musical about the ongoing conflict between Heaven and Hell, with the titular hotel being set up by the wildly optimistic Disney-Princess daughter of Lucifer; Charlie Morningstar. Charlie believes the denizens of damnation have it in them to be redeemed and ascend to Paradise, and the hotel is the site of their rehab. Unfortunately the officials of both afterlives are various degrees of incredulous about this plan.

We talk about the whole thing, but I don't consider this as spoiling the experience for newcomers. It can only help you enjoy the show all the more if you listen to this first, and the toe-tapping, frequently genuinely excellent songs will live in your head from now on. If you like The Good Place Good Omens, The Owl House or even Hades, you will find plenty of similar philosophical musing and humour in here.

Drop Dead Fred May 17, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Statistically speaking, very few of you have seen this movie. Those who have either detest it with utmost derision or love it so much it makes them cry. Garnering a pathetic 11% on Rotten Tomatoes one would think this an unmitigated disaster, easily summed up as "Grown woman remembers imaginary friend, he returns and wrecks her life."

But look at the run time on this one... two and a half hours. And you know us, if we've talked for that long about something so obscure that literally nobody has ever asked us to cover on the show then it means there's something special below the surface which 89% of professional film critics in 1991 either didn't see or meant nothing to them.

So, for everyone who hasn't seen this movie, come along with us, and find out the extent of what was overlooked.

Guest Lecturers Matt Reeves & Rupert Wyatt on Directing the Apes May 10, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

With the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Maze-Runner helmer Wes Ball emerging this week, we went back to look at a Trilogy that emerged without any overarching grand plan, changing directors after the first instalment, with both men just trying to make the absolute best film they could with the opportunity they had.

And they succeeded! This is one of the best low-key trios of films based on a long-existing franchise that nobody had any real expectations of, and that were easy to overlook in the decade when superheroes ruled the big screen.

You will find out here what the creators' aims were, and the challenges of crafting films like these where the stars won't be in the picture until Weta Digital paint them in, and yet so much of those characters are right there in the human performances. If you ever doubted that Andy Serkis deserved a Best Actor nomination, regardless of digital makeup, this may convince you.

Guest Lecturer: George Lucas on Star Wars May 03, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

He's responsible for some of the most adored and industry-changing films of all time, and for some of the biggest cases of fan backlash ever recorded. It's maybe a little harder to remember now, after year upon year of Disney's Star Wars being declared the worst thing that has ever been put to screen, but a few years earlier, similar guys were saying similar things about the man that many fans wish had never sold to America's Mousy Spirit of Capitalism.

What we have for you here is a focused collection of monologues drawn from commentaries across all six of the movies he was directly in charge of, bringing you from Star Wars in 1977 all the way to Revenge of the Sith in 2005. The cumulative effect of listening to George say one thing and then seem to contradict himself down the line, regarding what was planned and when gives way to the portrait of a frustrated storyteller hoping to be understood.

These moments are interspersed with monologues from his production teams, including Empire Strikes Back director, his mentor Irvin Kirshner, Empire and Jedi writer Lawrence Kasdan, FX master craftsman Dennis Muren, animation director Rob Coleman, producer Rick McCallum, concept artist Ralph McQuarrie and the irreplaceable Carrie Fisher.

Guest Lecturer Ben Burtt: The Sound of Star Wars Apr 26, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This week, I have put together a presentation utilising footage drawn painstakingly from many, many hours worth of commentaries and archival interviews on the Star Wars movies, all focusing on one man.

I worked until the thumb and index finger and on my mouse hand no longer obeyed commands, in order to do justice to the astonishing amount of our experience of those movies is informed upon by the sounds he composed with. His decades of craftsmanship are as crucial to Star Wars as the sensational scores of John Williams. That's not even mentioning Indiana Jones, Willow, WALL-E or E.T.

You'll hear how the most memorable FX (as well as the ones used so subtly we don't even notice) are recorded in the real world to create that lived-in environmental ambience and audible character forever linked with that Galaxy far, far away. Here for your further movie education is one of the greatest and most ground-breaking sound designers in the history of cinema, Mr Ben Burtt.

One Piece [Netflix Season 1] Apr 19, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

When the Roman Empire looted the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, the amount of gold they found inside dropped the price of gold by 50% throughout the Empire. If something like that happened today, it would have caused the collapse of several First World countries overnight.

But that amount of loot pales in comparison to the value of the One Piece; both the fictional mysterious pirate treasure that has everyone in this wonderful waterworld taking to the high seas, but also the third best-selling comic of all time and the phenomenally popular anime, both of which have been running since the late 90s.

For those of us who need to catch up really fast without reading or watching over a thousand things, the new Netflix live action series is the best place to start. Just eight utterly compulsive episodes long, so far, this will give you a grounding in the major characters the same way it did for us in this commissioned episode. And we brought in both the sponsors and two more Straw Hats to fill out the map on this vast, rich and vibrant world. Guests

Self AKA Selfproclaimed
Teemu Helasharju AKA Banzai Tree
Bradford Yurkew AKA Lanodantheon and
Austin Wilden AKA WC-Wit

[Check out Austin's writing on One Piece here...]

https://wits-writing.tumblr.com/post/690798073331515392/my-favorite-panel-in-one-piece-or-why-ill

[And on Transformers Earthspark here...]

https://wits-writing.tumblr.com/post/721584287457181696/a-wonderful-experience-why-transformers

Justice League Unlimited Apr 12, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

Our years-long journey through the DC Animated Universe comes to a close, and it is both melancholy as we say goodbye to Kevin Conroy and at the same time wildly enthusiastic for some of the very best episodes across all that we have watched.

It is strange to think that we started this in 2020 when the DC movies at the cinema were on a high note: After years of the only success story being Batman, they had a billion-dollar hit with Aquaman, a cheerful adventure with the original Shazam!, we were moving past the embarrassments of Justice League and Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman was still a shining beacon and even though barely anyone saw it Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey kicked absolute ass... and now as we finish it, Aquaman 2 was a damp squid that made about a third of the original's box office, Black Adam finally appeared after over a decade of development for a "...that was it?" response, Shazam 2 pootled away the goodwill of the original, Justice League came back to satisfy the Snyder Cult... who then demanded more Snyder, James Gunn tried a Suicide Squad, but without Joker there, nobody came (everybody came to Joker), new management stepped in, they locked Batgirl in the dungeon and threw away the key, The Flash ran through time and space and development purgatory, resulting in a big, cringing NOPE! from audiences, Wonder Woman went back to 1984, her beacon puttered out and now she does birthday party cameos, and Blue Beetle kicked absolute ass... even though barely anyone saw it. The only big success story... was the Batman.

I honestly hope James Gunn can rescue ALL the heroes from this turd-fire, but whether or not that is possible, School of Movies can now definitively say that this IS the superhero universe to be held up as that shining beacon again (absence of a much-needed Wonder Woman: the Animated Series notwithstanding).

My personal final rankings are...

1. Justice League Unlimited

2. Batman: The Animated Series

3. Superman: The Animated Series

4. Justice League: The Animated Series

5. The New Batman Adventures

6. Batman Beyond

Between those, a breadth of the DC comic characters and settings was laid out in such a rich and consistent manner that makes this the definitive encapsulation of the mythology. If you've never had the pleasure of watching these in remastered High Definition, you will have your breath taken away by the artistry on show.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Justice League: The Animated Series Apr 05, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

The DC Animated Universe marathon reaches its Avengers phase, as the established animated Batman and Superman from their own Animated Series' which had already crossed over, team up with Wally West's Flash (who had guested on Superman) John Stewart's Green Lantern (as opposed to the Kyle Raynor who guested on Superman) Diana Prince who should absolutely have gotten her own Wonder Woman: The Animated Series, J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter (not to be confused with the unrelated Manhunters from the later Green Lantern: the Animated Series, which takes place in the Young Justice timeline) and Shayera Hol, Hawkgirl (not to be confused with Carter Hall, the unrelated Hawkman) of Thanagaria, the bird-people planet. Comics are weird.

The first two seasons, simply called Justice League are an odd fit. It doesn't have an explosive beginning that has all these new personalities playing off each other, and the event of them being revealed and meeting feeling like a special, momentous thing, they're just kind of all there, converging on a bunch of boring aliens to fight. The following episodes are almost across the board two-parters, making it less easy to sit down and just enjoy one. And they are still remarkably coy about getting inside their heads and playing out the drama of being this close to other supremely powerful beings. Making them gods first is always less appealing to me than making them people first.

Fortunately, when those first two seasons concluded we moved onto Justice League Unlimited. Self-contained episodes, even stronger animation and music, really making use of a massively expanded roster of seemingly everyone in the DC Universe, and a deft handling of smaller, more personal stories, with grand overarching umbrella plots. We get into some of that on this episode as there is some intersection between the two very different formats, (as well as a discussion of the Batman-Beyond closing episode 'Epilogue') but the grand finale will come in next week's concluding episode to the entire DCEU.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

(And on the Epilogue, originally recorded on our Batman Begins session)

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Kevin Veighey @KevinTimeGeek86

Bradford Yurkiw

Guest Lecturer: Guillermo del Toro Mar 29, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

This is an idea for a new kind of show that I've been developing. It just so happens to coincide with a period where my voice has been wrecked from illness and I'm trying to limit talking for long stretches so that my vocal cords can heal up.

I've been pulling together an archive of Director's Commentaries from the various discs that nobody seems to want any more. These represent a window of just over a decade wherein we got to hear what was in the heads of the filmmakers. As we move into the era of the vast majority of movies being watched over streaming, with scant few extras or documentaries on their construction, it is even easier to dismiss the works as 'content'. The general public never much cared for these materials, but if you love movies like we do, the bonus features are troves of creative insight to be uncovered.

However, most commentaries are a little bit dry, or might need the film there viewable for context, or the speaker falls back on saying what they're seeing onscreen, and the bigger issue is who has the time in the 2020s to sit down for two hours with one of these? My way forward is listening to them on my iPod as audiobooks. And what I want to share with you is the focused and collected cream the crop I'm studying. This brings our show closer to what it was always meant to be, Sharon and I learning along with you folks, from the craftspeople of film. And who better to start with than my absolute favourite person in this industry?

Now, I need feedback on this show, which is composed of the most fascinating parts to me from his commentaries on Hellboy (2004) and Cronos (1992). How much do you like this format and who else would you like to hear from? Because my archive is growing towards hundreds of hours worth of precious perspective, and to be the curator of that for you would be a literal honour.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 2) Mar 22, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

The conclusion (for now) to this series of shows on the triumphant return of Star Trek.

Season 2 slaloms between unsettling and dark episodes which would feel more at home in Discovery if they weren't so personal to the characters in this rich ensemble... and some of the most hilarious, touching, light-hearted yet heart-breaking downtime episodes which highlight the comedy strengths and the charisma of everyone in the crew. It's bumpy, but so worth the journey.

Kaoru's recommended episodes of the original 1966 series, AND the redheaded stepchild of Star Trek, the much maligned Enterprise series which ran for 98 episodes from 2001-2005.

TOS S1-24: Space Seed

TOS S2-7: Wolf in the Fold

ENTERPRISE S4-4 to 6: Borderland/Cold Station 12/The Augments

Chris' Suggestion: The Orville - Season 2

Debbie's Suggestion: Talistheintrovert on YouTube with her presentation "PSYCH the best Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence".

Jesse's Book Pick: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone.

Sharon's Book Pick: The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers.

The Bad Batch S2-E12: The Outpost.

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

Chris Finik @finmonster09

The Mask of Zorro Mar 15, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

Is this the last true swashbuckler of the 20th Century? It's certainly the Zorro movie so great, and so wildly successful in all of its aims that there hasn't really been a landmark big screen appearance since then (that wasn't the leading man playing a cat). Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones in their prime, and Anthony Hopkins delivering my personal favourite performance of his.

Here, in this commissioned episode, we go through every department, exploring the multitude of exceptional craftspeople, thespians, stunt coordinators, wardrobe heads, practical FX masters, all the while accompanied by the music of the late, great master of horns, composer James Horner. All of their work blends together into an absolutely magnificent, sweeping romantic adventure of revenge and liberation, with not only the greatest fencing scenes ever filmed, but the sexiest!

This is the second of a trio of absolutely astonishing films directed by Martin Campbell. We have already covered the third, (twice!) Casino Royale (2006), and we really do need to get around to covering the first, GoldenEye (1995).

Guest:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 1) Mar 08, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This is one of two commissioned podcasts on the first two seasons of the best Star Trek shows in decades. Refreshingly lacking in cynicism and tapping into the Kennedy-era energy of exploration and endeavour with a tight focus on character development, this one really is worth your time. We spend two and a half hours of spoilerific, textured discussion time really delving into these first ten episodes.

Kaoru's recommended episodes of the original 1966 series to watch for additional context...

S1-11 & S1-12: The Menagerie

S1-13: The Conscience of the King

S1-14: Balance of Terror

S1-19: Arena

S2-01: Amok Time

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Rise of Skywalker Revisited Mar 01, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

The late 2010s. It is a period of civil war. The vast Empire of Disney has released four of its five first Star Wars movies, to mixed reception. Critically and financially, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have done very well, as has Rogue One. However, the two episodes have divided the smaller portion of the global audience that amounts to the vocal fanbase, between those who are thrilled and those who are disgusted.

In a vain effort to smooth things over, it is decided that the pitched final film in this nine-episode Saga be made with nothing upsetting or challenging within. Writer/Director Colin Trevorrow is relieved of duty and replaced by the director of The Force Awakens and the writer of Batman V Superman. These two are then given a hard crunch time to get the movie developed, filmed, finished and released by the end of 2019. It must be by then, because a dark period for the cinema has been prophesised for the 2020s. What was released was designed to mildly please everybody, and as a result, felt largely mediocre, and did not become widely beloved.

Now, after years of living with the pain of this creative fumble, a lone film aficionado sets out into the wilderness of fan edits to see what has been done with the conclusion that left him so disappointed. What he discovered may shock and delight you, or it might induce a powerful rage. One thing is certain, that pain has been put to rest.

X-Men: Evolution Feb 23, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This was originally going to be an After School Club episode, but a combination of the community discourse regarding the X-Men, and an extremely well-timed trailer drop for the '97 reboot, AND a horrendous cold that has ravaged Sharon and I, along with our timetable, we're making this a Main Event.

If you're a little younger than us, you may well have been the exact right age and state of mind for this early-2000s animated series, which in many ways surpasses the much-vaunted '92 show. It is gratifyingly forward-facing, accepting that the Claremont era was thoroughly X-plored by its predecessor. And while its release clearly coincides with the early Fox movies, it holds to a high school relationship drama in a world initially unaware of mutants, and in distancing itself from the big screen, manages to be better, and more focused.

That said, there are some annoyances and character-handling that ground our claws, but it's in amongst some of the most relatable incarnations of these long-beloved weirdos. We absolutely urge you to track it down and devour the whole thing.

X-Men '92 Feb 17, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

The infamous animated series with a theme tune you can hear just by looking at stills of it, finally gets a well-deserved podcast. We actually recorded this several years back, to coincide with the launch of the new X-Men '97 animated show on D+, and we're finally seeing images from that now. Whether it's good or bad, THIS ONE is worth watching, at least some choice episodes of.

While often held up with the likes of Batman TAS, this one's strengths lie less in the flawless execution of those DCEU shows, and more in the goofy heart, wild Claremont-era stories and memorably crystallised colourful characters. In many ways, this is the evolution* of several decades of comic book storytelling, coming out to the world at large, at the opening of their most successful and popular decade. Planting a flag in the ground with a big old X on it, to mark the spot.

We elected to focus only on Season 1 here, as after recording we went on to watch all of it, and that show would be five hours long and quite repetitive. But we nailed the salient points and I hope, managed to outline why this cartoon and its crew of kinda-silly characters meant so much, and could mean even more if Marvel play their cards right in future.

*Oh, and if you were born a little while after us and grew up with the second generation show, X-Men: Evolution, then you're going to love next week's podcast.

Star Trek: Discovery Feb 09, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

We initially started watching this 2017 Paramount TV series just for some back-story context on a pair of commissioned podcasts we have upcoming on the first two seasons of the sister show about the crew of the Enterprise; 'Strange New Worlds'. As it turns out, after a rocky start, Discovery is really excellent in its own right and we wolfed down the first four seasons.

So, this is a largely spoiler-free round-table discussion on those seasons, to give you folks who haven't yet watched it incentive to maybe give it a go, along with details and character development to keep an eye on. And if you have watched it you will almost certainly love hearing our take, because, as it turns out, we are now in the middle of an unexpected Golden Age of Trek.

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Strange Days Feb 02, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

It's always a risk, setting a sci-fi dystopian movie only a few years from filming. You're going to make predictions about how the world might look and operate, with new technology or sociological and political upheaval within a time period so immediate that it's the difference between the launch of the Sony PlayStation and the PlayStation 2

But we are currently living in a dystopia increasingly left to the devices of the dumbest of AI, and many of us are wondering "How the hell did all this happen between the PS4 and PS5?". Plus, the writer/producer of this one warned us about Skynet before. James Cameron here teams up with director (and occasional wife) Katherine Bigelow to deliver a grimy neo-noir that failed abysmally at the box office when everyone wanted Batman Forever. A disregarded cult favourite with a mysterious and twisted psychopath murdering people in truly stomach-churning ways, the same year Se7en was a massive smash hit.

The tech is effectively Virtual Reality, only it's recorded, first-person real life experiences that go way beyond mere visual immersion. There are riots on the streets of Los Angeles as a terrifyingly militarised police force close in, and as the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year's Eve in the far-flung year of 1999 a young and twitchy Ralph Feinnes and a statuesque goddess, his long-suffering protector played by Angela Basset find themselves caught up in a dangerous world.

This show was commissioned by Greg Downing, and we had a blast delving into it.

Prey (2022) Jan 26, 2024

[School of Movies 2024]

After decades of very patchy sequels and spinoffs to the 1987 sci-fi classic, Predator, we finally get one that is not only worthy of, but in many ways surpasses its stealthy action-beefcake-slasher source.

So far we've had Predator 2 (1990), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018). But this one takes note of there frequently being a woman of colour on the cast of the previous movies and this time put her front and centre, telling her story, rather than the grizzled guys she's babysitting.

Relative unknown Amber Midthunder (who has nonetheless been acting since 2001 at the age of 4) stars as Naru, a Comanche girl on the great plains of America, circa 1719. Her skills lie in being highly observant and resourceful, and her frustrations stem from the guys in her group not letting her be a hunter. This of course goes upside down when an outsider touches down in their territory and starts bagging trophies with horrifying ease. And these French fur-trappers are similarly surprised to find an alien Predator carving them up for his own shelf-candy.

From Dan Trachtenberg, the director of 10 Cloverfield Lane comes another absolutely riveting tale of a woman who must fight to survive.

Guest:

Actual Comanche Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Undertale Jan 19, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

This is one we have been planning and looking forward to for a long, long, LONG time. One of the most significant indie video games of all time, and for our child, maybe their favourite forever (up against Minecraft and Stardew Valley).

In a gaming marketplace overflowing with charming retro-styled games with a dark, absurd sense of humour veiling heart-breaking stories about coping through pain, loneliness and grief, this one shines out as an inspirational beacon. With Earthbound on the SNES as his chief influence, creator Toby Fox set out to make a game that confounded, mocked and disapproved of RPG tropes, but in doing so, made an adventure where you could kill every enemy you meet... or make friends with them. And doing the latter results in profound and deeply memorable connections.

If you've not played it by now, you probably won't. So, throw the notion of spoilers aside and let's get into the juicy skeleton meat on this one, together.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Professional Underteller Willow Shaw

Gravity Falls (Show 6: Episodes 37-40) Jan 12, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

Part 6 of 6

We come to it at last. The final episodes of one of the greatest animated shows ever gifted to TV. And we pulled out all the stops this time, because it's bittersweet to say goodbye again.

Originally I planned to get this whole season discussed in one sit-down session, considering how much ground we had covered back in Season 1 with two sessions. But in the end a second was essential. What we have here is that unplanned final session with Kaoru & Debbie (joyfully back after a long absence while they brought a small person into the world) blended with segments held over from that first recording to close us out with fireworks. Many thanks to everyone involved in this challenging and rewarding project. You made it special, like it deserved to be.

Episodes Covered: Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future / Xpcveaoqfoxso / Escape from Reality / Take Back the Falls I / Take Back the Falls II

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Gravity Falls (Show 4: Episodes 21-36) Jan 05, 2024

[School of Everything Else 2024]

Part 4 of 6

Back in early 2020 (pre-pandemic even) just as Disney+ had launched, making this show super-accessible to everyone at last, we recorded three podcasts on the first season. Now we are finally back to talk about the second and final season and one of the most satisfying, bittersweet endings of any television series, and I am not being hyperbolic with that statement.

Dipper and Mabel Pines are a pair of tweens who have to spend the summer in the strange Pacific Northwest town of Gravity Falls with their conman Grunkle Stan. Now answers to the big mysteries of the first season finally bubble to the surface, presenting us with both hilarious hijinks and mind-bending sci-fi. It's the kind of smart, emotionally sensitive, poignant and genuinely funny programming for kids that we've seen rise most reassuringly over the past decade.

Episodes Covered: Into the Bunker, The Golf War, Sock Opera, Soos and the Real Girl, Little Gift Shop of Horrors, Society of the Blind Eye, Blendin's Game, The Love God, Northwest Mansion Noir, Not What He Seems, A Tale of Two Stans, Dungeons, Dungeons, & More Dungeons, The Stanchurian Candidate, The Last Mabelcorn, Roadside Attraction.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Wakanda Forever Dec 29, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is one of the hardest episodes we have ever had to record.

I'm not dealing in hyperbole when I describe the shockwave that rippled through our house when we found out that without the slightest warning Chadwick Boseman passed away in the night. He represented, for want of a better term a great responsibility. And much of these few hours is spent talking about that impact.

On top of that, there were elements of the film that bothered both of us, and our guests, but the undertaking of bringing this movie into existence, soaked in real world tragedy and during a pandemic was so challenging that how could we possibly be critical?

This is why it has taken us a silent year to gather our thoughts. And we are so grateful to our guests for being able to manage the weight and breadth of what gets discussed and land -as intended- in the most human place possible. Special thanks to Maya Souris who was actually IN this movie and gifted us with some precious insight into the filmmaking process.

The charity we are giving to this Holiday Season is Covenant House. They offer unconditional shelter and support for the abused, homeless and trafficked, and are currently willing to 5x match any donations they receive up to midnight on January 31st 2023.

Guests

Maya Souris iMDB Listing

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Aquila Hope

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Tokyo Godfathers Dec 22, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

One of only FOUR movies directed by the all-too-soon-departed anime darling Satoshi Kon (along with Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Paprika), this is by far and away his most heartfelt, funny, camp and soulful tale, and it is most definitely Christmassy in nature, considering it concerns three impoverished homeless people and their desperate attempts to protect and ferry back to her parents a holy infant, so tender and mild.

But as well as being a fair and compassionate story of the destitute, this film has an exceedingly rare trans heroine in the shape of Hana, a hot mess who nonetheless has the most determined and forthright of dispositions. Together with the alcoholic Gin and the runaway girl Miyuki, they experience a series of unlikely coincidences that require them to do the right thing in order to reverse an interconnected web of hilariously bad situations.

No matter how lonely and depressed a viewer might feel at the beginning there is no way someone can reach the end without smiling from their very core. This somewhat obscure 2003 Holiday parable is deserving of its cult status.

This episode was commissioned by Alejandra Vargas & Joe G.

Guest:

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Gravity Falls (Show 3: Episodes 13-20) Dec 21, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 3 of 6

The third of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021.

We round off the first batch of episodes with a showcase of villainy, as a crazed piglet who holds small-town America in his thrall seeks unlimited power for himself. And on the other side of the reality curtain, a chaotic yellow triangle man hatches his schemes.

There's also a hilarious take on boy bands which was in fact creator Alex Hirsch apologising to his sister Ariel for being such a scornful bounder, admonishing her musical taste when they were tweens.

Episodes Covered: Boss Mabel/Bottomless Pit/Carpet Diem/Boys Crazy/Land Before Swine/Dreamscapers/Gideon Rises

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Gravity Falls (Show 2: Episodes 7-12) Dec 20, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 2 of 6

The second of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021.

We return to one of the best animated series' to grace the TV screen. A rich, hilarious, fast-paced puzzle-box of twisty mysteries and subversive, genre-savvy capers. Tween twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are staying with their Grunkle Stan for the summer, at his combination gift-shop and rube-trap. But strange things are both out there in the woods, and inside the wooden walls of the Mystery Shack.

Both seasons are available on Disney+ And if you have already finished it and want something similar but haven't yet sunk your beak into The Owl House, that's what's for dessert.

Episodes Covered: Double Dipper/Irrational Treasure/The Time-Traveller's Pig/Fight Fighters/Little Dipper/Summerween

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Gravity Falls (Show 1: Episodes 1-6) Dec 19, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 1 of 6

Throughout the year we will be releasing episodes covering one of our very favourite animated shows, now available worldwide on Disney+ which is why we waited until now. Most people haven't seen this, so you can watch along with us. We won't spoil any later episodes and the podcasts won't release all at once. Next week the Spielberg Season continues with E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.

The elevator pitch for this one is "The Simpsons meets Twin Peaks". A pair of twins, one of them fascinated by strange and mysterious things, the other determined to have fun at all times go to stay for the summer with their grotty con-man of a Great Uncle Stan. As it turns out; Gravity Falls, this sleepy Pacific Northwestern Town is filled with both strange and mysterious things and fun!

Episodes Covered: Tourist Trapped / The Legend of the Gobblewonker / Headhunters / The Hand that Rocks the Mabel / The Inconveniencing / Dipper vs. Manliness

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Love Actually Dec 15, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

If you love Love Actually this show is for you.

If you hate Love Actually this show is for you.

If you consider Love Actually to be kind of a mixed bag and there's actors and/or scenarios in there that you really like and yet some of the characters behave in awful ways that the film doesn't judge as awful, but overall it seems to have its heart in the right place, this show is for you.

And if you've never seen Love Actually... then this show is for you.

What we have done is recruit Doctor Hunter Mulcare from the Two Shrinks Pod and asked him to help us with a challenge (that it turns out Cinema Therapy did last year - though their half-hour show and family audience doesn't allow for anywhere near as much detail or not-safe-for-work content). Join us as we rank the relationships in this 2003 film, written and directed by British institution Richard Curtis, ranging from most unhealthy to out and out life-goals.

The winner may surprise you.

Guest:

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Final Fantasy VII Dec 08, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

The first global blockbuster hit in this long-running series from Squaresoft. As we noted before, the excellent Final Fantasies IV, V and VI were not released in Europe (neither were I, II or III) until long after this one, and it was utilising the power of the PlayStation, so this really was the introduction to what a modern-day cinematic RPG video game could be, for an entire generation in 1997.

Playing it today, there are a number of drawbacks, some of which (annoying random battles, slow-progression) are mitigated by Quality of Life additions in recent remastered versions (the Switch version that Sharon played all the way through this adventure for the first time). However, the blocky, awkward character models and static backgrounds do warrant the glossy Remake that we are still only halfway through, and will not be taking about until it's over... in 2028.

None of these drawbacks of the PS1 original can taint the fact that this really is beloved for plenty of great reasons. We talk at length here about the story and characters, meaning and the manner of how this tale is imparted to us. Powerful bitter-sweetness is a feature, not a bug.

Next Week: Wakanda Forever

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 6: Spirited Away Dec 01, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Arguably director Hayao Miyazaki's finest hour, and by extension the peak of composer Joe Hisaishi and for Studio Ghibli in general. This one is almost too easy to either sing the praises of, or to dismiss because it was so popular. Disney distributed it in America, and it made $395 million, which might make it the most successful theatrical release for an anime movie. By contrast, My Neighbours the Yamadas two years prior in 1999 made $11 million on three quarters the budget. Spirited away was showered with critical praise and won many awards. It's the popular girl.

But this girl is also endlessly fascinating; stirring, whimsical, intelligent, exciting, funny, and unforgettable. She stays with us, and we return to her again and again for comfort and to feel that sense of quiet awe. It's also noteworthy that this has one of the best American language tracks for any Japanese film; Daveigh Chase (Lilo of Stitch fame, Donnie Darko's sister and the girl from The Ring), Jason Marsden (Max in The Goofy Movie), Susan Egan (Megara of Hercules fame and the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast) Suzanne Pleshette (The Birds) David Ogden Stiers (Lilo & Stitch and Beauty and the Beast) and Tara Strong (literally every cartoon ever made). On this one occasion you should definitely try Dub AND Sub.

This is the film we chose to close out our 2023 series on the studio (though we still have The Boy and the Heron, along with 'The Imaginary' from Studio Ponoc, and whatever the future brings. We will be there to curate their art.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Alejandra Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Green Lantern: The Animated Series Nov 24, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

This is the good stuff. Look no further than the 2012-2013 one-season 3D animated show for the absolute best Green Lantern experience. Co-Created Giancarlo Volpe of Avatar and Bruce Timm, one of the key figures in the beloved and critically acclaimed classics of Batman: The Animated Series, along with the connected Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, all of which constitute a true encapsulation of the DC comic heroes.

What we have here is the archival spoiler-free section from our 2013 Digital Gonzo episode talking about this fantastic cartoon. That is then followed by a 90-minute, spoilerific contemporary discussion about what happens to the various characters. This series is so unappreciated that we actively recommend you listening to this whole thing. It's the NOBODY watching it that's the real spoiler.

Hal Jordan (Earth's GL lost in space with this tiny crew)
Razer (A disgraced Red Lantern trying to make amends)
Aya (The prototype ship's computer, learning everything about the universe)
Kilowog (A Bolovaxian GL, big, blunt and kind-hearted)

Many thanks to our guests, both old and new.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Games

Green Lantern (Revisited) Nov 17, 2023

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is a special, re-edited, re-release of a classic episode of Digital Gonzo. Back in 2013 we talked all about Green Lantern, under the impression that Warner Bros. & DC had big plans for superheroes over the next decade. And while they have genuinely given more heroes an airing, audiences seem to only be interested in The Bat and the Joker, (oh, and Aquaman, because he has laser-sharks).

So, what this is is a pared-down and pacier version of the first part of that show with more focus and music. This is then followed by a contemporary take as Sharon and I rewatch the film with the benefit of hindsight to see if it has perhaps improved with age. The second half of the 2013 podcast was all about the extremely good Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and that will be coming next week with an all-new 90-minute full-spoilers discussion to tie into our DC Animated Universe shows.

1. The History of Green Lantern (2013)

2. The Comics (2013)

3. The 2011 Movie (2013)

4. The Movie Revisited (2022)

-------------------

Who You Callin’ Yellow? by Jamas Enright
Going Green by Movie Bob, from the Big Picture show on The Escapist
Weakness and Strength by Nama Chibitty
Alex Eding a True Lantern Fan’s Rant on the Green Lantern Movie

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Games

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 9: When Marnie Was There Nov 10, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

A strange period for Ghibli brings us to the end of our current run, still with the closing triumph of Spirited Away (2000) to cap this body of work off, as well as this year's The Boy and the Heron paving the way for a future tenth instalment.

What we are looking at is the last film from Isao Takahata (who died only five years later) the visually resplendent as well as distinctive Princess Kaguya, which is my favourite of his works, but still has one glaring bad decision inherent to the edit.

Then there's the most astonishing surprise from this entire project, which is quite how I unexpectedly adored When Marnie was There (from Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the director of Arrietty). The most delicate, Gothic tale in their back catalogue.

After that, yet another film that deliberately defies the established Ghibli aesthetic, the first collaboration with a non-Japanese director Michael Dudok de Wit and the wordless caveman-accessible tale of a red turtle (who is secretly a woman, or vice versa).

And then for maximum shame, the definite WORST Ghibli film ever made, or that ever will be made; Earwig and the Witch, directed by Goro Miyazaki. A film so awful it dragged his father out of retirement yet again.

But to end on a pleasant note, we talk about both the RPG video game Ni no Kuni and the freshly established "Studio Ponoc" and their debut "Mary and the Witch's Flower". Truly the child of Ghibli, and a team we hope will continue making beautiful films far beyond our lifespans.

2013: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (0m 35s)

2014: When Marnie Was There (16m 50s)

2016: The Red Turtle (29m 30s)

2020: Earwig and the Witch (45m 35s)

2017: Mary and the Witch's Flower (1h 4m 20s)

Rings of Power (Season One) Nov 03, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

We all knew this would happen eventually. No Intellectual property that has been known to rake in a billion dollars for a single movie will ever be left alone to stand in glorious completion. Whomsoever holds the rights will use them. Some folks expected a (potentially very misguided) attempt at making the entire Silmarillion for television, or for Amazon to do what it seems likely Warner Bros. eventually will with Harry Potter and just re-tread the books we've already seen adapted exceptionally well to film in the 2000s - this time to a 2020s TV series (ostensibly so that they can use the additional time allowed by the format to be truer to the original text, but you KNOW there would be a ton of new stuff in there that would drive the long-time fanbase crazy!)

Instead, Amazon took the first eight minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue describing the end of the Second Age, conveyed so memorably and elegantly at the opening of that 2001 film, and cracked that series of decades (and sometimes centuries) of events open to create an apparently ongoing TV show detailing exactly how Sauron the deceiver was able to deceive all the races of Middle-earth quite so skilfully, and get his jewellery side-business booming.

Maybe the most EXPENSIVE experience ever put to the small screen, let's see if all of those hopes and dreams of cornering the streaming market paid off for Bezos. We've brought back Chris Eason, our running-mate from the original 2012 Lord of the Rings episodes (still some of our very best) and The Hobbit (an exercise in hopes being dashed over a number of years), along with the always-engaging, insightful and smart Brendan Agnew. There's definitely things we like here. But some of us are madder than others.

Guests:

Chris Eason of GameBurst @Legoftime

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

The Nightmare Before Christmas Oct 27, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

An absolute landmark in terms of stop-motion animation within cinema. Conceived in the early 80s by Disney animator Tim Burton and manifesting first in an 11-minute poem after the style of both A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas from Doctor Seuss.

That was developed into this oddball story of a pale loner of an outsider (who is also wildly popular because of course he is, this is Tim Burton). The skeleton king of Halloween town falls in love with the unfamiliar and delightful trappings of Christmas itself. This leads him into drumming up the spooky but hapless monster people of his realm into crafting their OWN Christmas, with all kinds of horrors!

Our guest tonight has literally written a thesis on stop-motion, and we have been waiting for him to record this show. It launches almost exactly at the 30-year anniversary of the movie. Coming this weekend we have a Cutting Class episode on Patreon with all the material that didn't make this final edit.

And if you're on the lookout for Halloween reading, my Lady Dracula novel "Castle of the Moon" will be available to buy in Paperback form (as well as the eBook version on Patreon)

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

The Howling ”Trilogy” Oct 20, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

For our Halloween Spooktacular episodes we begin with a compilation of three After School Club shows, covering the first three of the eight instalments in the Howling franchise. However, despite two of them being from the same director (Philippe Mora) and two of them involving the writer of the original book (Gary Brandner) I struggle to think of three films that feel less like each other in a series. The incoherence and absence of any connective tissue or even thematic consistency almost seems intentional. And it might be a dismal and disjointed experience if it wasn't so hilarious!

The 1981 original, directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Matinee) is most definitely the nastiest, with the Mum from E.T. (Dee Wallace) being stalked by a werewolf, which then leads to a communal retreat that hosts the world's most obvious werewolf cult. But the 1985 second film "Your Sister is a Werewolf" then seems to yank us away to find out what's happening in the former Czech Republic (what's happening is softcore werewolf orgies and an unfortunate dwarf whose eyes explode!).

And then the 1987 third instalment, "The Marsupials" asks the question "What if werewolves... but also kangaroos?" as they drag us, kicking and screaming to Australia for some of the most nonsensical non sequiturs we have ever heard. All told, this is as loosely connected as Cannon's Ninja Trilogy and ultimately just as rewarding to uncover.

Next week; grab your stockings and pumpkins because it's high time for the Nightmare before Christmas!

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 8: Arrietty Oct 13, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

With the grandfather of the studio, Hayao Miyazaki retired and his son Goro not warmly welcomed by the fans, there was now an enormous question mark over the future of Ghibli that persists to this day.

Luckily, there was still amazing talent to be found within their walls. Hiromasa Yonebayashi (better known as Maro) made his directorial debut with one of our faviourites, which positively cries out for watching in HD, The Secret World of Arrietty. It's the tale -adapted from yet another classic children's fantasy book- of tiny people who live unnoticed in our houses, and the perils of their survival. Notable for its different British and American voice actor teams, since over here we got Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland!

After this, Goro attempted a second movie about confused teenagers, this time with a more delicate touch which achieves it low-key melodrama qualities. And in the absence of a breakout new direction, his father Hayao came back out of retirement to direct one of his most sobering reflections on aviation and war, with The Wind Rises (which is far more appealing to me than Oppenheimer's handling of similar themes this year).

2010: The Secret World of Arrietty (1m 55s)

2011: From Up On Poppy Hill (29m 30s)

2013: The Wind Rises (45m 35s)

Final Fantasy VI Oct 06, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

There are many reasons why this 1994 instalment in the long-running Square franchise winds up high on lists of the very best RPGs of all time. It is an ensemble piece with an immediately engrossing story and endearing, growing party of misfits, oddballs and freaks.

The concept of an oppressive, evil empire messing with powerful magic to secure its dominance isn't new at all, but rarely does a single self-contained game tell such a world-spanning tale with no one character standing out as the obvious leader. They are all heroes in their own stories. This, along with Chrono Trigger and Earthbound was the high bar on character-based RPGs that followed in the 90s, and notably during the return to retro style that followed the MMORPG goldrush of the 2000s. Astonishing music from the legendary Nobuo Uematsu gave so many of these memorable characters their own themes, while the superficially simple pixel art and modest map pushed the Super Nintendo to its limits with rich, hidden depths and texture.

Sharon had to sit this episode out, though she did play and complete the whole game after finishing Final Fantasy IV and then VII, both of which are past and future podcasts for this show. In her place is Maya Souris; smart, dazzling stunt-lady, scuba diver and total nerd. And since this was my first proper play-through and being one of her favourite games of all time, she guided me along the way, and we wound up with a truly engrossing and enthusiastic discussion. So, whether you've played this masterpiece yet or not, you are in for a treat.

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 7: Howl’s Moving Castle Sep 29, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Having now won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Ghibli was facing the retirement of one of their absolute linchpins. Hayao Miyazaki wanted to go out with a bang, so adapted another favourite book of his. Howl was popular, but readers had things to say about changes that were made.

After that, his son Goro Miyazaki tried his hand at being a director in the elder's absence. adapting another treasured childhood fantasy, which was declared the worst Ghibli ever upon launch (we don't think that's fair in hindsight; Goro has done way worse since).

So, the grumpy Dad returned with a sweet little mermaid story about why his grandchild is just as cute as a button. He would later attempt and fail at retirement several more times!

2004: Howl's Moving Castle (1m 35s)

2006: Tales from Earthsea (44m 21s)

2008: Ponyo (1h 3m 35s)

In the middle of our show there is an essay piece from our friend Alejandra Vargas.

(NOTE: Part 6, which will be Spirited Away has not yet been recorded, but we will be releasing that as our finale, because it is our favourite.)

Matilda: The Musical Sep 22, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This, folks, is arguably the greatest adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's books made to date. Taking everything that was great about the 1988 book (one of his last, only followed by Esio Trot, The Vicar of Nibbleswick and The Minpins) and one of the abiding favourites for many kids and previously-kids who aren't entirely sure if they have truly grown up yet.

It's about a schoolgirl who develops telekinetic powers that she uses to banish a truly horrific headteacher. But that is merely the skeletal plot, there is so much there about being lonely, being neglected and abused and using your frustrations for something positive (making this the Anti-Carrie). And that was conducted in the beloved Mara Wilson and Danny DeVito film from 1996.

But in turning this thing into a successful West-End musical Tim Minchin added some truly memorable, frequently brilliant songs, a whole sub-plot about a story Matilda is weaving together, even more significance for the role of Miss Honey (played with astonishing fragility by Lashana Lynch). It's also a little less mean-spirited than a lot of Dahl's work, which makes it more suited to newer generations.

Alisha Weir absolutely kills it as Matilda, and Emma Thompson is unrecognisably foul as the monstrous Agatha Trunchbull. This film adaptation of the musical play adaptation is a Netflix-funded production, so should be possible to see right now. And with Wonka on the way from the director of Paddington, we hope this is the beginning of a 2020s Dahlaissance.

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 5: Princess Mononoke Sep 15, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Many would call this period the crowning glory of Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki in particular. The maturity and refusal to pull his punches that came with the rich, dark and complex Princess Mononoke illustrated that when it came to humankind's strained, abusive relationship with Nature itself, that bloodshed was an inevitability,

He followed this up with a personal favourite of mine, Spirited Away in 2001, but we have a dedicated show on that coming at the very end of this series.

1997: Princess Mononoke (1m 45s)

1999: My Neighbors the Yamadas (51m 30s)

2002: The Cat Returns (1h 4m 30s)

The other two are oddities; Yamadas was from Isao Takahata (of Grave of the Fireflies and Balls of the Raccoon) and it's a significant departure from all other Ghibli movies, in terms of animation style and content, being based heavily on a Japanese comic strip about family life. And following that we have Ghibli's only sequel to date, though tonally quite different from Whisper of the Heart, The Cat returns takes place in the same world.

In the middle of our show there are feature essays from long-time friends of the show

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew "Living With Miyazaki - Part 7" (34m 10s)

Josh Garrity of Cane and Rinse @CombineHunter with his piece from a short-lived but extremely potent YouTube series "The Animation Archives - Part 4" (44m 30s)

Streets of Rage Sep 08, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

The greatest brawler series in the history of video games. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of playing one of the four Streets of Rage, even if beat-'em-ups aren't your thing you owe it to yourself to investigate the sheer *craft* of these classics.

Beginning with the original in 1991 and refined to magnificence with the second in 1992. They need to be looked at in conjunction with their contemporaries like Double Dragon (1987) the excellent Final Fight (1989) and Turtles in Time (1992) as well as looking forward down the chain of influence to Scott Pilgrim (2010), Fight'N Rage (2017) the recent Battletoads (2020) and the sublime TURTs nerdgasm Shredder's Revenge (2022).

As we go through the history of how these were made, by surprisingly small teams with focus on sound design, music, rhythm and variety a picture is formed of a creative ethic. They're also colossal fun!

That is until you hit the North American release of Streets of Rage 3 (1994) which becomes a nightmare slog. We explain what went so horribly wrong there. But you can skip right past that one and move on to the pinnacle of not only the series but the genre; the modern-day masterpiece that is Streets of Rage 4 (2020).

Brigsby Bear Sep 01, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is one you almost certainly won't have heard of, but will be happy you found it through School of Movies. It's the tale of a young man named James who has grown up in a post-apocalyptic bunker, raised by his loving parents and wondering what's outside. One night a raid by the cops results in his "parents" being carted off to jail, as it turns out they kidnapped him as an infant and hid him here. Now he has to come to terms with the real world and the awkward fit of his new family and potential friends.

Thing is though, he's a colossal nerd for Brigsby Bear. That long-running TV show about a space-faring teddy with a surprisingly deep lore for James to obsess over. However, double-twist... Brigsby was never shown on TV because it was being created by his kidnapper-Father (played by Mark Hamill). Undaunted, James sets out on a personal quest to finish the story for himself.

In an unusual show setup we examine the film through two contrasting lenses. Firstly from a long-time fan whose obscure commission this is, and secondly through a professional expert on mental conditions who has only just seen it.

Guests:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Devil’s Advocate Aug 18, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Impressive, silly or impressively silly? Those are just three of the possible responses to this 1997 theological legal thriller with overtones of several flavours of horror, including paranoia, demonic and financial.

It's the forked tale of a hotshot Florida lawyer named Kevin who has never lost a case, despite representing cartoonishly villainous defendants. He is recruited by a swanky New York legal firm, headed up by a devilishly charismatic fellow with a deep, dark secret. Can you guess what it is?

This was a commissioned show for Greg Downing and it was great fun finally getting our teeth into this overblown Paradise-Lost-meets-Pelican-Brief panto, starring a wildly overacting Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and a breakout tormented-wife role for a young Charlize Theron.

V for Vendetta Aug 11, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

The Wachowskis are back! This time in producer capacity with their friend James McTeigue who wend on to direct The Raven, five episodes of Sense8 and (our personal favourite, the critically panned but hugely enjoyable, blood-spattered throwback) Ninja Assassin.

In an alternate history dystopian Britain, a young lady named Evey Hammond is rescued by a shadowy figure in a mask who calls himself V and seeks to fight back against their tyrannical oppressors. This is an adaptation of one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time. Alan Moore originally spun this out over several years in the early 1980s, depicting our country as a near-future, fascist police state that was a cautionary tale to those living under the iron fist of the Thatcher regime. Our guest, Victoria has read this book repeatedly and is able to delineate with truly fascinating insight, the powerful changes made for this 2006 movie.

You will also find out quite a lot about Guy Fawkes and his part in the conspiracy to blow up Parliament in the early17th Century, and why even though he and his companions failed, their bungled plan still has deep, historical significance.

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Ghost in the Shell Aug 04, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

One of the most significant and influential anime movies of all time. Absolutely instrumental in inspiring a big chunk of The Matrix in terms of aesthetic and pondering, metaphysical philosophy.

This began as a single-volume cyberpunk manga series written by Masamune Shirow between 1989-1991. That was adapted into the 1995 movie which is the focus of this episode. After that came a bunch of television we are not touching, a sequel focused on the character of Batau, named Innocence, which we recommend, a re-envisioned remaster called 2.0 which swaps the janky 90s CG and green aesthetic for janky 2000s CG and amber aesthetic. Then a bunch more movies and TV and manga.

And then in 2017, American studios who always seem to keep making the same mistakes when they adapt anime directly into live action filmed a giant mistake in 2017. The Scarlett Johansson movie is actually better than it could have been, but it makes a fine talking point as comparison between the attitudes and approaches to the presentation of what seems like the same story but is actually quite different.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Jul 28, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

This is quite an extraordinary case. A Netflix show released in two chunks of five episodes apiece, six months apart, back in 2021. 93% fresh with professional critics. And if you sit down and watch it, this is the best Masters of the Universe story ever told.

And EVERYBODY HATES IT!

Seriously, go check YouTube and get bombarded by the scorn and bile. Observe the 38% audience score. Try finding ANY positive analysis from the fans. It might get easier with time, (especially as a lot of folks only watched the first episode and then reacted with outrage, and many did not catch the second half of the series after all those months) but when we put this episode together our decision had to be to NOT second-guess all the people who loathe this show, and their reasons for hatred.

Some cold hard facts about it: He-Man is killed in the first episode. From that point on, Eternia is in trouble, and that could have dire, far-reaching consequences. The focus is on Teela, Prince Adam's former bodyguard, furious at being lied to for years, and with her one job in tatters. But she's the one who has to get the gang back together, form an uneasy alliance with an old enemy, and journey to both Heaven and Hell in order to potentially make things right again.

It has a stunning voice cast, including Mark Hamill, Lena Heady, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stephen Root, Griffin Newman, Diedrich Bader, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Cree Summer, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tony Todd, Justin Long, Alicia Silverstone, and an all-too-brief cameo from Kevin Conroy.

It has true character growth, dramatic confrontations, untrodden ground explored, secrets revealed and bittersweet decisions made. It is exceptionally good, and apparently here is the only place you're going to be told about that.

Gonzo Adventures: The Tower of the Sorcerer Jul 26, 2023

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

The 150th episode of Digital Gonzo.

This was a one-off show inspired by the episode of Community 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'. It's a sit-down gaming session conducted over Skype with myself as Dungeon Master and my guests as a team of adventurers. For this one we were using the flexible, simple ruleset of Advanced Fighting Fantasy by Graham Bottley which itself stems from the gamebooks of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone (The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon) and detailed in the starter book Dungeoneer. This is the first of the two adventures within that book.

I wanted to bring you guys something different, in the style I have honed over the years so there's music and sound FX as well as a hefty chunk of silliness and getting into character. The lengthier fights have been edited for pacing but you're mainly missing a lot of dice rolls. The team that begins this story comprises of the following.

Thrale Copperhelm: A tough-as-nails dwarf, played by Neil Taylor of GameBurst
Lastern Darkfire: An elf fresh out of the forests, played by Mark Reay of The A.I. Bots
Kellis Payge: A human mage from the city watch of Chalice, played by Sharon Shaw of School of Movies
Harron Brondyn: A sarcastic thief played by Matt Ramsey of Do Try This at Home

Focus is on character and story over action and complex systems, almost closer to an audio drama than the recording of a game. The guest soundtrack for this week is the original World of Warcraft OST by Jason Hayes, Tracy W. Bush, Derek Duke, and Glenn Stafford. Many thanks to my guests, who played brilliantly and went easy on me in my first-time role as Dungeon Master. The combat rules were still being learned by all of us, also Gonzo is an adult podcast and we use adult language in this.

And thank you all for making this one of the warmest, smartest, funniest communities on the internet for 150 episodes of Gonzo.

No Country for Old Men / True Grit Jul 21, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

The final main feed instalment of our Coen Brothers series goes out with a double-bang of exceptionally gripping Westerns.

No Country for Old Men (2007, written by the recently departed Cormac McCarthy) is a tense game of cat and mouse. Josh Brolin discovers a drug deal gone very wrong and walks off with the money, and Javier Bardem plays the dead-eyed Terminator slowly but surely closing in on him. This whole case is followed by Sheriff Tommy Lee Jones who is scratching at his head to fathom the trail of violence he is witnessing.

And in True Grit (2010) the second adaptation of the 1968 Charles Portis novel, a brand new Hailee Steinfeld, aged 13 commands a grizzled old frump of a bounty hunter played by Jeff Bridges to help her track down her father's killer and see justice done. It somehow manages to surpass the classic John Wayne version in every way. And both of these were influences on my own writing.

If you want to hear what we have to say on the remaining Coen Brothers films you can catch our Patreon-excusive After School Club shows on The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, Burn after Reading, A Serious Man, Hail Caesar, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The Tragedy of Macbeth.

2007: No Country for Old Men

2010: True Grit

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 4: Porco Rosso Jul 14, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This was a whimsical period for Ghibli, they tried a few new things, and established one or two absolute mainstays.

1991: Only Yesterday (1m 50s)

1992: Porco Rosso (11m 50s)

1993: Ocean Waves (25m 10s)

1994: Pom Poko (41m 10s)

1995: Whisper of the Heart (59m 40s)

There's a disarmingly frank and sympathetic story of a schoolgirl hitting adolescence wrapped in a Hallmark movie about returning to your rural home town after the big city has crushed your spirit. Conversely there's a high school romance about a doormat crushing on a girl who thinks only of herself.

Then there's two of the most abiding and beloved of their canon, in the tale of a high school girl who likes a musical boy which winds up being a powerful statement on creativity, and then there's the World War II pilot who was turned into a pig. But he's much rather be porcine than fascist.

And finally, an ecological parable starring enormous raccoon testicles!

In the Heights Jul 07, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Lin Manuel Miranda's first big break into the off-Broadway musical scene. This 2021 movie adaptation, directed by Crazy Rich Asians-helmer Jon M. Chu is a squeaky-clean but heartfelt tale of the upper east side of Manhattan and its proud, passionate, talkative, motivated yet frustrated population of first, second and third-generation immigrants. It's a story of inheriting the dreams of your parents and trying to reconcile forging your own path.

This one has been a long while coming. We wanted to do a show on it as soon as the cinema release, but since that was just after Lockdown ended it was unlikely many of you folks could safely make a screening. And we wound up recording it last winter, but since it's such a heights-of-summer movie I've waited until now to release it.

This week I needed something to lift my spirits, since Sharon has been confined to the bedroom in a self-imposed COVID quarantine. It made the final show unexpectedly painful to put together, but worth all the blood, sweat and tears.

Guest:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Follow Nama's sister's art: Bunny_the_Artist

John Wick: Chapters 2/3/4 Jun 30, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

We covered the first film in May 2019 just before the third hit theaters, and since then they have shaped up to be four of the finest action films ever made. They boast laser-focused attention to choreography, physical genius, artfully photographing long, unbroken takes with astonishing lighting and otherworldy music. All of it revolves around a firestorm of a performance from Keanu Reeves, himself experiencing a deserved renaissance.

The fourth film ends on a definitive and deeply satisfying melancholy note. So, while the series itself limbers up for all manner of spin-offs, sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, reboots and action figures, let us take stock of what made this quartet special.

'John Wick Turbo' has been a re-editing project, where I sought to trim away a little of the second film's world-building, adjust the third film's pacing and dial back the fourth film's runtime, bringing all of them to the 101-minute sweet spot of the 2014 original. And talking about this process allows us to really get granular about the impressive strengths of each.

The Flash Jun 23, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This one was a long time coming. There's a solid argument to be made that to set the tone for the planned DC Cinematic Universe all the way back in 2012, around the time Avengers was doing gangbusters by brazenly copying the Marvel formula by building up the characters the general public don't know yet *before* throwing Superman and Batman at us again.

But since Green Lantern was terrible in 2011 Warner Bros. clearly concluded they needed to establish a foundation of superheroes everybody knows *then* do a Justice League, THEN introduce us to those new superheroes in a way that feels more like a spinoff than a build-up. They did not have the faith that these costumed icons could carry a movie without Batman. So, accordingly this film that now seems to be closing out that first protracted attempt has (at least) two Batmans!

Against expectations, considering the nightmare production, the lead actor's disturbing real life crime spree and the extremely muddled tone and story, I actually enjoyed this well-intentioned mess. Full spoilers of course, but I feel like everyone's level of enjoyment on this movie is going to be the same whether they know what's coming or not.

Batman Beyond Jun 16, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

The DC Animated Universe marathon watch, which began all the way back in 2020 as Lockdown started continues! And this is a show Sharon and I had never sat down to watch before, so it was almost entirely new to us.

I knew this was pitched as "What if Batman was Spider-Man?" but I did not know the circumstances of how that premise came about. Warner Bros. wanted an animated series about a specifically *young* Batman. Toy marketing indicated that kids would engage more with a teenager than they would with a man in his thirties. The double-bind was that Kevin Conroy's Batman, as established in this continuity didn't don the cowl until well into adulthood.

It was this information that Bruce Timm and company conveyed at a meeting with the studio heads. Then when asked to think of a way around it "What if Bruce Wayne was old and got a younger person to wear the suit and do all the superheroics?" was put on the table. Then they had to dream up an entire show to fit with that premise.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Kevin Veighey @KevinTimeGeek86 whose Let's Plays on YouTube can be found here

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Bradford Yurkiw

The Big Mermaid Jun 09, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

For many years we have been planning a show or a series of shows on the Disney live action + CG remakes. The plan was to start with the 2015 Cinderella (or even the 1994 Jason Scott Lee version of The Jungle Book, thence to 101 Dalmatians with Glenn Close) and we would watch every single one of them, and talk about the good and the bad.

But over time, having covered the details of all of the originals in our Disney animated series, the job itself grew insanely huge and exhausting, with so little to say that wasn't already being said by every film pundit on YouTube (because Disney gets you maximum clicks). Luckily this one came along, 8 years into the remake period that boasts both high points and low for the whole concept.

By absolutely NO means anywhere near the level of the small original 1989 film with its $40m budget and its changing of the world of cinematic animation in a way that would not be matched and diverged from until Toy Story and then Shrek, there are still definitely things to like about Mermaid '23, including the earnest and talented Halle Bailey as Ariel.

However, with its $250m budget and the remit of adherence to photorealism at the expense of abstraction that Disney seem to have slammed all of these with, it makes for an extensive focus point to talk about many of the elements which have been frying our fishes. Back as a special guest this week is Willow.

F9: The Fast Saga / Fast X Jun 02, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Another ton of fun for the summer as we go back to the most unkillable series of all time. You kill this thing and it will come right back, walking out of the explosion to cool music. If this franchise has any enemies they will be friends the next time we see them. Did I say friends? I meant FAMBLY!

What we have here to start with is an edited, supercharged version of my first impressions of F9 (one of the very first movies I got to see when cinemas reopened in summer 2021).

After that is my brand new talk about 2023s Fast X which brings Jason Momoa to the barbecue. We look at the recurring issues as the series moves from era to era and zero in on how they may have shot themselves in the foot in terms of the drama that this Nos-Opera hit the big leagues with.

Black Adam / Shazam: Fury of the Gods May 26, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is the second and third instalments of the Shazam Trilogy, we covered the first back in 2021. Now The Rock will assure you that Black Adam is nothing to do with Shazam, but we have comics that say otherwise.

We start with my 2022 first impressions of Black Adam having just returned from the cinema, originally put out as a Patreon Exclusive. Then we follow up with a brand new section where I tell Sharon about Shazam's last movie, at least with this cast and format.

What we said back when we talked about the original still stands, kids grow up, but also grown actors do and say regrettable things that impact the metatext of otherwise simple sci-fantasy action films.

Coming this weekend to the Patreon bonus feed, we talk about one of my favourite movies starring the Rock, one where he gets knocked all over the place and comes off better for it; The Rundown.

Heckboy May 19, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Most of you will probably already know how much I care about both the comic book character of Hellboy and the magnificent Guillermo del Toro movie adaptations from 2004 and 2008.

However, considering its dismal box office of $55m (on a budget of $50m) and its dismal critical reception (17% RT) statistically speaking most of you did not see the 2019 reboot, and even fewer of you enjoyed it. Directed by Neil Marshal (The Descent, Centurion, Dog Soldiers) and starring everyone's favourite big red violent uncle David Harbour, this as an alternative to the proposed third movie by Del Toro should have been a new beginning. Instead it was a wretched embarrassment and a blight upon the mythology.

This episode starts with a condensed and abbreviated edit of my 2019 first impressions followed at the 44 minute mark by a very special guest. Not their first appearance on the show but definitely their most impassioned so far, Willow Shaw has entered the arena... and they have things to say about how their beloved Hellboy was treated here.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? / Inside Llewyn Davis May 12, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

The Coen Brothers season continues with Part IV here, and we picked two of the most musically focused for a double-bill of hapless singers wandering America.

The first is arguably the most high-profile and broadly celebrated film, which comes at the end of their golden age. Their eighth movie, O Brother is an ambitious retelling of Homer's Odyssey, set in the 1930s dust bowl and concerning three escaped prisoners on a treasure hunt. It's a screwball comedy, closer in tone to Raising Arizona than something like Fargo. This mix of Americana was received with adulation by the Academy, and the bluegrass music at its core became a brief travelling sensation.

Inside Llewyn Davis however, is from 2013. Thirteen unlucky years after their peak, and by this time they were indie darlings again. It concerns Oscar Isaac's titular character based on the careers and music of certain Greenwich Village folk singers from 60s New York. Llewin is reeling from the death of his singing partner, and his travels take him from conflict to conflict as he tries to find his place. It's a fine example of a grower movie, since when we first meet him he is appallingly selfish and obnoxious and doesn't seem to change, to the point where he seems to circle back around to where he literally started. But as with Lebowski, the more you watch it, the more you listen, the more of an impression this restless, lonely ghost of a man will leave.

2000: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2013: Inside Llewyn Davis

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 3: Kiki’s Delivery Service May 11, 2023

[School of Movies 2020]

The first anime we have ever covered on a Main Event show (if you listen to our 2017 Scott Pilgrim episode you'll find it starts with a lengthy explanation as to why), but depending on how anime fans react to this one we might do more.

It's a simple tale of a little witch who moves to the big city to start her own business. Kiki is goodhearted and well-meaning but faces many challenges along the way. This charming basket of innocence is delivered to us by master director Hayao Miyazaki, and may seem twee and super-sweet on the surface, but there's something to be learned from what happens.

I also talk at length about how in 2010 the American language track was altered by Studio Ghibli themselves for release in HD, and what that did to the film.

This episode was commissioned by our two guests and Aaron Good

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild May 05, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

This is actually the fourth of an ongoing series of Zelda episodes begun all the way back in 2010 when we had a guest-filled clip show covering every title from the NES original to the then-latest instalment, Spirit Tracks on DS. After that came Skyward Sword in very early 2012 after its release on the Wii, then in 2017 when Breath of the Wild emerged, we did a third show covering the remakes and remasters up to Majora's Mask on 3DS.

And now here, just as Tears of the Kingdom gushes forth, so too do we, about what may in fact be not only my favourite Zelda game of all time... but maybe my favourite game!

We and our guests talk at length and depth about this series high-point for many, only rivalled by one other across many rankings and polls. But absolutely warranting of detractors deeply frustrated by a system of weapons that seem to be made from crackers lightly glued together. We look at the pitfalls and soaring heights of this astonishing achievement in building a world that begs to be explored. My original intention, since the recording ran to over two and a half hours was to trim out 45 minutes or so. I couldn't. It's all simply too good.

Guests

James Batchelor of the Bond and Beyond podcast @James_Batchelor

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Eric Jones of Waxing Cinematic, FilmCut and Photoflow Terror in the Stars

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

The Final Fantasy Series / Final Fantasy IV Apr 28, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

This episode coincides with the Switch and PS4 release of the Pixel Remasters of the first six games in this legendary, long-running RPG dynasty.

Part 1: Where do you start with a series that has a game called Final Fantasy X and a game called Final Fantasy XII and a game called Final Fantasy X-2 and only one of those is an actual sequel to the other? Not only do we lay out which games to try first, but we divide them all into design eras and let you know what to expect from each.

Part 2: We discuss the plot and characters of one of the most beloved in the series, Final Fantasy IV. This won't spoil the game, only make it more special to play. But if you really don't want to hear any details whatsoever and intend to play this 1991 game to completion right now, you can hold off at the 57 minute mark.

Which mainline numbered (non MMORPG) games are playable on the current, running console generations?

PlayStation: 1-10 as well as 12 and 15.

Switch: 1-10 as well as 12. Plus a chibi version of 15.

Xbox: 7-10 as well as 12 and 15 and the only current machine you can play XIII on.

Other notable versions:

PSP: 1,2,3,4 / Game Boy Advance: 1,2,4,5 and 6 / Steam, Vita, Windows, IOS and Android / As well as the originals on NES, SNES, PS1 and PS2

Also: Catch us on the Old Kids Movies podcast this week, talking all about Ella Enchanted with them @OldKidsMovies

Tarzan Apr 26, 2023

[School of Movies 2018]

This time we go deep and we go long. Tarzan is for me one of the absolute greats of the Disney canon and so rarely talked about with the reverence of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, so this time that's what we did.

It's been hugely influential on my writing and stands as maybe the crowning spectacle of the marriage between 2D characters and luscious 3D backdrops utilising the "Deep Canvas" technique.

Daniel Floyd joins us once again to explore the last of the 90s renaisance. After this it was Fantasia 2000 and Dinosaur and while they occasionally put out something amazing, Disney lost their way until Tangled established the new normal.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories

A Goofy Movie Apr 21, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

A long-planned return to a far-too-often overlooked Disney animated classic released quietly in 1995. A passion project of Jeffrey Katzenberg that wound up being helmed by Kevin Lima, director of Tarzan and later Enchanted.

From the outside it seems like a fun finale to the 78-episode syndicated wacky animated show 'Goof Troop', but as it turns out, this one hit way closer to home than most of Disney's more fantastical fare for a lot of kids who grew up watching it on VHS and DVD and love it intensely.

I've promised Daniel Floyd of Extra Frames that if we ever covered it he would be there, and thanks to Ryan Estrada of Big Data (who adores it just as much) we have ourselves a fascinating, in-depth dive into a surprisingly emotionally complex road-trip.

References

The Enduring Legacy of Disney's Black Millennial Classic 'A Goofy Movie' by Austin Williams

A Goofy Movie: A Staple of Black Culture | READUS 101 by La'Ron Readus

The Little Things About A GOOFY MOVIE by ToonrificTariq (feat. AwkwardlyAnimated and Mann of a Thousand Thoughts)

Guests

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus @DanFloydPlus

Ryan Estrada of RyanEstrada.com @RyanEstrada

The Big Lebowski Apr 14, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Part III of the Coen Brothers series. In 1998 they pulled together what might in fact be their most beloved film for fans of their oeuvre. Definitely the most eminently quotable, by virtue of a script that is almost a musical in terms of how often phrases and lines are repeated and reprised, layering absurdity upon each scenario and impeccably delivered by an astonishing cast. It follows a California layabout named Jeffrey Lebowski who is mistaken for a local philanthropist of the same name. Chaos ensues.

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliott, Peter Stormare, John Turturro and Tara Reid all play eccentric characters in this sly parody of a film noir kidnapping mystery. One where pretty much everyone is far less competent than they are pitching to the world. It's a real "No One Knows What They're Doing" scenario, as FilmJoy might say.

Some folks are baffled as to why it's so vociferously beloved, so we have attempted to convey that here. Sharon and I rambled like crazy over two delirious recording sessions, and I wound up trimming out 45+ minutes of utter crap that isn't worth saving for a Cutting Class. This is why mere synopsising and vaguely commenting on why a scenario is funny does not constitute critique for me. Luckily, what remained in place, and what I was able to editorialise after the fact, I am proud of.

Next time around, a double-bill of period musicals, both of which also contain John Goodman SCREAMING!

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 2: My Neighbor Totoro Apr 07, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

We've reached the point of 1985, where Studio Ghibli was officially founded. This episode covers the first three films released under this official new banner.

1986: Laputa - Castle in the Sky (5m 20s)

1988: Grave of the Fireflies (18m 20s)

1988: My Neighbor Totoro (37m 05s)

The first of these, Castle in the Sky bears a striking, clearly-inspirational tonal and aesthetic similarity with my favourite game of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We have a main event show on that very game coming soon. Now the middle of these three gets very grim, as it is one of the harshest depictions of child suffering during wartime. By all means skip ahead when it becomes too heavy.

And big thanks to Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse podcast, as I tracked down some never-used archival footage of him chatting with me about why he loves My Neighbor Totoro for very personal reasons.

Fargo Mar 31, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

Part II of the Coen Brothers series. This 1996 film was the point where they hit the big leagues. Showered with awards and nominations, Joel and Ethan were placed alongside great and classic directors by the establishment.

The story itself is one of a bungled kidnap, a bag filled with cursed money and the needless murders that take place as a result of seeking it. It's a frosty noir, set on the snowbound roads between Fargo, North Dakota and the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. A weasel of a car salesman arranges for the kidnapping of his own wife, and from that atrocious act, calamity radiates.

The local sheriff on the case is Margie Gunderson, played by Frances McDormand, whose genial, mumsy attitude hides a sharp, observant detective brain. And it is from her perspective that we observe with bewilderment the cluttered mistakes of daft, greedy men.

Next time around we go bowling with The Big Lebowski. More kidnaps, more bungling, more greed, less murder.

Studio Ghibli Part 1: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Mar 24, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This has been a long time coming. You've all been so good and respectful when it comes to not bombarding us with requests for anime shows that we decided to treat you collectively, and finally push the button on the one studio whose body of work is the first thing most people think of when it comes to prestigious films in this medium.

Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 and have produced two dozen movies to date. This is the first of a series of shows releasing over this year that will cover all of these. And to do that we have to go back to the source. Hayao Miyazaki was one of the founders, alongside Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata, and his is the most singular creative vision, informing upon the direction and philosophy of their art for forty years.

Most of this first episode is spent discussing what repeating motifs show up across this body of work, and how much of that ties in with Hayao's worldview. We lightly cover Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro which he directed for Tokyo Movie Shinsha in 1979, and then move on to Nausicaa (1984) which was based on a manga book of his. These led up to the actual official formation of Ghibli in 1985. You will definitely pick up on themes that will be coming back around again and again, and we are honoured to be able to talk about these in lengthy depth, even if we do frequently strike an irreverent tone.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Cartoon Mar 17, 2023

[School of Everything Else 2023]

As the new movie approaches, Sharon and I journey back to one of our favourite childhood animated shows. Beginning in 1983, this was a joint collaboration between Toei Animation in Japan, Marvel Productions in America and DND Entertainment.

It was an attempt to string a loose narrative together of a bunch of teenagers transported to a mythical realm full of D&D scenarios, and being given roles in an adventuring party. It was made at a time when everything was episodic and self-contained, performances were insanely earnest and we all learned valuable morals about not judging by appearances.

But ultimately, what kept us coming back was a strange sick sort of desperation to see the kids get back home at last... That they never did lends this show a melancholy yet hopeful tone which captured our young hearts. Many thanks to our enthusiastic guest, who is younger than us, but caught the show in reruns in the early 2000s.

Guest:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Jackass Mar 10, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

The first 72 minutes of this one, focusing on the trilogy of feature films from 2002, 2006 and 2010 was originally published on our Patreon bonus feed in early 2020 (the ten year anniversary of seeing them together on the big screen for the last time). Then, unexpectedly filming during the pandemic, the fourth film Jackass Forever emerged, and we were able to follow up with a new section.

If you've never gotten into this motley crew of cackling, skateboarding imbeciles throwing themselves into dangerous situations, pranking one another and falling about in hysterics you also won't yet have experienced the unexpected pleasure of gut-laughing through their always enthusiastic, inventive, frequently absolutely disgusting, juvenile and sometimes kind of sweet shenanigans.

If you've enjoyed them in the past then this show is going to be a veritable treat.

Duelling Pinocchios (Part 2) Mar 03, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

The concluding second part of this detailed puppet exploration. We finally reach Guillermo del Toro's exceptional antifascist version of the story wherein things might not be so cut and dried as "Do everything you're told by adults".

We also get to bring in discussions of all the other movies we watched along the way, in order to get a better handle on the screen life of this Italian legend. Some of them are lost, hidden gems just waiting to be rediscovered, some of which you should avoid like bubonic plague.

You'll also hear about a version from Victoria that even WE didn't know about, in the most surprising of mediums.

Guest:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

The complete Pinocchiae

1. 1940 (Disney Classic, directed by Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske)

2. 1996 (Adventures, directed by Steve Barron)

3. 2002 (Creepy Manchild, directed by Roberto Begnigni)

4. 2012 (Italian Animated, directed by Enzo D'Alo)

5. 2019 (Italian Live Action, directed by Matteo Garrone)

6. 2021 (Russian "True Story", directed by Vasiliy Rovenskiy)

7. 2022 (Disney Remake, directed by Robert Zemekis)

8. 2022 (Netflix Stop-Motion, directed by Guillermo del Toro)

Duelling Pinocchios (Part 1) Feb 24, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

It seems like 2022 was the year of the little wooden boy, with THREE new Pinocchio movies released. There was the Robert Zemekis-helmed live action remake of the Disney classic, Guillermo del Toro's darker, fascist-challenging Netflix stop motion film, and there was the Pauly Shore dub of the Russian one that gained memetic notoriety.

So Sharon and I went back and didn't only just watch those three... we pretty much watched every significant Pinocchio movie ever made. And then we brought in Victoria Luna B. Grieve to talk about their different approaches.

In this first of two shows we revisit the 2014 recording of Daniel Floyd talking with us about the 1940 original for our Disney Animated Series. Then with Victoria we look at why so many people angrily *loathed* the new Disney incarnation.

Next week, Del Toro, Shore, Benigni, Martin Landau, Udo Kier, Napoleon Dynamite, weird noises, strange perverts and the best animated version you've never heard of.

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

M3GAN Feb 17, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

I would say you don't have to watch the film to listen to this show. I go deep into the themes and principles of the story, which means talking about the plot at length, but I don't spoil the details of the grisly, violent and scary scenes, thus hopefully preserving a lot of their impact.

A brilliant engineer, toy designer winds up the sole caregiver for her niece after a tragic accident. Finding it far too difficult to suddenly incorporate a young person into her life she comes up with the idea of developing the child-sized robot she has been working on, turning it into the ideal companion for a lonely little girl.

Inevitably the irresponsibility of this decision leads to the robot sprog going small-scale Skynet. It's a very enjoyable and extremely popular Blumhouse horror with more going on under the rubbery skin.

Carnage & Morbius Feb 10, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is a pair of Patreon After School Club episodes, covering the second and third instalments of the Venomverse.

Back in 2018, after I recorded my initial After School Club on the original Venom movie (which was subsequently released like this on the main feed) I outlined its various strengths and weaknesses and what a messy, daft underachievement it was. But then Venom wound up insanely popular, making more than many MCU entries. $856m versus The Eternals sitting un-prettily at $402m. That doesn't necessarily mean Venom is a better film, just that general audiences warmed to it HARD.

So there was a big question mark over what might happen if they made the sequel into the film they WANTED to make, rather than what felt like a weirdly compromised first instalment which was clearly reshaped from its original R-rated incarnation. What do you suppose happened with Part 2?

And then, the film that nobody wanted with the star that nobody asked for. Quickly bottoming the charts as one of the worst Marvel-adjacent movies ever made, this is a fine example of why the term "Superhero" really shouldn't be applied collectively. They are set in a universe/multiverse of superpowered beings but this is most definitely a science experiment that goes wrong and changes a genius doctor who *used* to help people into a toothy CGI beastie who jumps off rooftops, flies about the city and feels sorry for himself while the investigating police ineptly try to catch him before ultimately giving up.

This is the first time I've coined the term "The Venom-Verse", because that's what this is. Nothing of Spider-Man, everything of vestigial comic book villains who swear to be antiheroes at some unspecified point in the future if Sony can get their act together. So welcome to Bat-Scientist Begins (and if we're all very lucky, ends).

Contact Feb 03, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is our second attempt at a film that might mean *everything*. We had a go at recording on this 1997 Robert Zemekis sci-fi about attempting to decode alien messages all the way back in 2014. The discussion broke down soon after that opening section which crams a whole universe into our minds. Fortunately for us and you, this became a commissioned show (Many thanks to Executive Producer Matthew A. Seibert) which means we can't set it down or put it off any more.

Jodie Foster puts in an astonishing performance as a woman in the grip of lifelong obsession, searching for answers. When her SETI team at the Very Large Array of radio telescope dishes in New Mexico get a long-distance message the entirety of Planet Earth is thrown into a chaotic conflict to establish meaning. Religion and science are put in opposition of one another, with explosive results.

Astrophysicist Carl Sagan began conceptualising what would happen to the human race if it came into contact with intelligent life back in the late 70s, which precipitated an eighteen-year production limbo that he would not live to see the end of. Fortunately, Zemekis' film maintained the spirit of what Carl was reaching for.

Grosse Pointe Blank Jan 27, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

One of our all-time favourites, so little-seen or talked about that it's debatable as to whether we are looking at a Cult Classic or not. And one of the reasons we've held off for so long on talking about this 1997 black comedy about a hitman attending his ten-year high school reunion is that we were waiting for it to be rediscovered.

And that hasn't happened, neither has it aged poorly, which is always a concern for comedies. But also we love it on such a level of personal resonance that it has always been a challenge to put into words exactly why. The script zigzags wittily through this green Detroit suburb, the offhand delivery with room for improvisation without ever becoming self-indulgent, the exceptional casting, in particular John and Joan Cusack and Minnie Driver at her zenith, the soundtrack that shows a genuine affinity with 80s music rather than simply playing the pop hits. Also very specifically this was released at a time when nostalgia for that decade was barely even a thing yet.

And this is what Commissioned Shows can sometimes accomplish. they give us an imperative to account for ourselves, and a quest to convey to you all why this one is definitely worth your time. No more ducking and weaving, rather like a litter from your high school summoning you to a festival of pain! So, many thanks to 'Executive Producer' of this episode Greg Downing.

There Will Be Blood Jan 20, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

A commissioned show by Parker. This is our first Paul Thomas Anderson main event show, and it is a grimy, sticky dive into the black heart of the vampiric nature rewarded by pursuing The American Dream to the exclusion of everyone else's success.

Daniel Plainview starts out as a grim, silent nobody scratching for silver in California's dirt. He discovers oil down there and rises in power and influence, buying up land cheaply with the full intention of tearing the resources out from under its inhabitants. Daniel appears wildly successful, only to find himself butting heads with other businessmen who provoke his paranoia, an opportunistic imposter and a zealous charlatan of a local pastor obsessed with keeping everyone else's attention on him.

Through it all his mostly silent adopted son, H.W. remains the tiny speck of purity in an infernal subterranean ocean of oil and blood.

The Sea Beast Jan 13, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

A Netflix-distributed animated film about bounty-hunting pirate whalers hunting giant ocean kaiju. A plucky girl trying desperately to live up to the great death of her parents whose ship was borne down to the briny depths. A hardworking himbo on the cusp of questioning exactly why all this loss of life seems to be so necessary to keep civilisation afloat. A desperate sea captain on the verge of retirement watching his work of years come undone and blaming it all on one massive red beastie.

Easy comparisons with How to Train Your Dragon have been made, but you have to get under the harpoon-fletched scaly hide of this leviathan to find that it goes to places Dreamworks and Disney won't.

This is a Commissioned show for Chris Finik, and it was an absolute pleasure to discover this one on his suggestion.

The Coen Brothers: Part 1 Jan 06, 2023

[School of Movies 2023]

This is the start of a Director series that will run throughout the year, focusing on the complete works of Joel and Ethan Coen. Now in their mid-to-late-60s these two have been making quirky, dark films about stolen money and mysterious strangers for forty years.

We begin with their first five stories of philandering spouses, struggling artists, uncomfortable criminals, screwball kidnapping and absurd industry.

1984: Blood Simple

1987: Raising Arizona

1990: Miller's Crossing

1991: Barton Fink

1994: The Hudsucker Proxy

And we will be back in a month or so, to visit Fargo, North Dakota as they hit their heyday.

The Fantastic Four Dec 30, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

For years this seminal, game-changing Silver Age comic book has seemed damned-near impossible to adapt into a movie, with all four efforts failing resoundingly at getting major audiences to care about Marvel's First Family. And yet Pixar did it twice with the serial numbers filed off and the clear vision of Brad Bird.

So Sharon and I look back on those movies, two that we've covered in the past just based on their own merits (2005 and 2007) and two others whose productions deserve delving into (1994 and 2015), and we compare them against the comic itself from various periods (Lee & Kirby, Byrne, Simonson, Morrison, Waid, Straczynski, Hickman) and not only speculate on how they could fit into the MCU, but celebrate their characters (along with Doom, Silver Surfer and Galactus) in a way that film has been unable to, at least to date. This episode took a hell of a lot of research and is richly prepared for all of you.

Our shortlist of recommended reading is as follows...

1. FF #48-52 ('The Coming of Galactus', 'This Man, This Monster', The Black Panther debuts)

2. FF #262 ('The Trial of Reed Richards')

3. FF #334-346 ('Into the Time Stream')

4. 1234 (Limited 4-issue series)

5. Vol. 3 #67 - Vol. 1 502 (4-issue 'Unthinkable' arc)

6. #538-543 ('Civil War')

7. #570-572 ('Solve Everything')

The Muppet Christmas Carol Dec 23, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This is a movie we covered already, back in the winter of 2011. But back then I was really just getting warmed up, and it was a comparative show with the Robert Zemekis version from 2009. But huge thanks to my guests back then who always bring the insight; Taylor Nova and Matt Ramsey.

This time we delve deep into both the Dickens book and why the Henson version hits all the notes exactly right, as well as the recent and long-awaited restoration of the 1992 film (with the missing song performed by Meredith Braun now back in place) on its thirtieth anniversary. And accompanying us this time are a pair of veritable Muppet experts who run their own dedicated podcast on these ageless furry anarchist entertainers!

Settle in for a genuinely epic journey through one of the greatest Yuletides stories ever told, being retold in perhaps the greatest way possible.

Guests:

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two also of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

It’s a Wonderful Life Dec 16, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Perhaps the oldest film we have covered as a Main Event show to date, as well as one of the most significant from that era. Frank Capra's seminal Holiday classic is often dismissed as syrupy fluff by those who haven't yet seen it, or misremembered as light comedy by those who caught it in fragments over the years without sitting down to really take in what it's saying.

It's neither of those things, and the greatest tragedy is how searingly relevant this 1946 post-war exercise in picking up the pieces of a nation still is. Sharon and I have been earmarking it for the SOM treatment for many years, but always putting it off as too heavy or too daunting, and also too beloved to cover in any way that wasn't 200% satisfying for all.

Luckily Chris Finik came along with a shred choice of Commissioned show, and now you all get to listen to what it sounds like when we pull out all the stops.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Dec 09, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

We've been planning Narnia shows for many years. This was a very special book series to me as a child, informing on my worldview and writing. It was also the first long-form live action fantasy series I watched on television, as the BBC production which ran from November 1988 to December 1991 adapted four books over three 6-episode seasons. I always wondered why they stopped at The Silver Chair. Later I began to understand the kind of scope and budgets and potentially thorny territory that the remaining three stories would entail. The quaint, very British project was already more ambitious than anyone would have expected.

After that were many long years of waiting for a cinematic incarnation (not counting the insanely cheap and rushed 1979 animated version). The achievement and success of New Line's Lord of the Rings films at the same time as Warner's Harry Potter imbued Disney with a desire to seek out its own epic fantasy series to bring in all the dollars.

While compared unfavourably with Weta's perfectly magnificent Rings Trilogy it is frankly amazing that the director of the first two Shrek films was able to achieve something in this 2005 film which both surpassed my experience of reading the book, and even my loftily-soaring imagination of what the events could look, sound and feel like. We will be covering the duet of films that followed in 2008 and 2010 and lingering cancellation of the seven-part series next year.

Guest:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Early Commissions 2023 Dec 06, 2022

This is a quick lowdown of what we have coming up in the next few weeks, along with official notification that the window for our Early 2023 Commissions Season is opening up right now.

So if you have an episode you want crafted by us, the standard price for a film is $150 with video games and TV shows scaling that amount, depending on the hours we will have to invest.

Get in touch via Patreon Messenger, Discord, Twitter or email, and have a very happy holidays.

Superman: The Animated Series Dec 02, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

Following the tremendous critical and commercial success of the first ever dedicated animated Batman show, the same creative team turned their eyes to his sunny counterpart, the original, archetypal superhero, the last son of Krypton.

It's always more challenging creating a successful, beloved Clark Kent than it is a Bruce Wayne. People like the brooding and the darkness. By contrast it is natural to be mistrusting of someone who purports to be so utterly GOOD all the time. Surely there's an angle. Look how naïve he is. What if he turned bad? Unfortunately this last prospect is the Superman story we keep returning to in pop culture. Because we can understand why someone would wield supreme power as a conquering weapon.

This, however is THE definitive Superman. Christopher Reeve is no doubt the most wonderful, memorable, impeccably performed live-action Kal-El, but this show which ran for three seasons from 1996-2000 is most definitely the place to go to find the *context* for Superman. A world based on the comics that the creative team love and have actually read! A rogue's gallery that aren't all just Lex Luthor and General Zod, and the finest Lois Lane we may ever see.

This Animated Series is a gift.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Kevin Veighey @KevinTimeGeek86 whose Let's Plays on YouTube can be found here

Riddick Nov 25, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Nine years after his Chronicles, Richard B. Riddick is sat upon his iron throne, the crown hanging heavy, too many pie suppers since he was at his physical peak and too many wenches left in wordless ecstasy, sloughing around his greasy bedsheets.

This is the story of how he gets easily tricked, shot in the back, left for dead on a barren planet filled with beasties designed exclusively to kill you, and soon after making a four-legged friend, he becomes beset by not one, but two separate groups of rotten mercenaries.

Possibly the yellowest film you will ever witness, Riddick (2013) is what happens when one attempts to return to one's roots after an age of hubris. Does it succeed?

Next Week: Superman - The Animated Series.

The Chronicles of Riddick Nov 18, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

After knocking it out of the park on the first try with Pitch Black, David Twohy and Vin Diesel limbered back up four years later with a complete change of pace, scale and even sci-fi sub-genre. If you look at Pitch Black as The Hobbit, then where they took the series next was their Lord of the Rings.

However, there is a world of difference between what went into the expansion and historical goings-on of Professor Tolkein and the Conan-the-Barbarian-in-space that Riddick metamorphosed into. Suddenly, rather than a dangerous prisoner he became the chosen one of a massacred world, destined to avenge his people against a rampaging horde of death-worshipping necromongers!

The results of these changes were frequently frustrating and marginally absurd!

Pitch Black Nov 11, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This one is really rather special and arguably the longest time coming of any of our shows. Pitch Black, released in February 2000 in the USA didn't make it to the UK until November of that year. There's even some confusion in this episode because I wasn't sure if Sharon and I were actually together as a couple when we saw it (turns out we were, just). But significantly, this was our first movie where we left the cinema together on fire with analysis that we were twanging back and forth like verbal badminton.

It's a tight, focused, visceral, planet-survival thriller, drawing from many inspirations but managing to combine them in a way that keeps it continuously gripping, even after all these years.

This is the first of a dedicated three-week series of episodes revolving around the transmedia franchise that sprang from this standalone movie; a handful of very savvy decisions mixed with a bucket of bad ones.

The chronological order goes...

1. Escape from Butcher Bay (Patreon Exclusive Episode)

2. Assault on Dark Athena (In a double-bill with Butcher Bay)

3. Pitch Black (Main Event)

4. Dark Fury (Patreon with the video games)

5. The Chronicles of Riddick (Main Event)

6. Riddick (Patreon)

See you in a few days for a delve into Vin Diesel's career and the Peter-Chung-animated 30-minute short, followed by the sprawling, pretentious Conan-the-Barbarian-in-Space of "The Chronicles of Riddick" next week.

Retro Emulation Gaming Nov 04, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

This one has been many years in the making.

Around about the time the pandemic hit, followed by the global chip shortage there was a series of jumps in both quality and quantity of retro gaming machines being manufactured in China and shipped out to folks stuck in lockdown with a serious hankering to revisit a simpler less-apocalypsy past.

At the same time the secondary collector's market for vintage hardware, cartridges and discs also ballooned, and those with the engineering abilities started restoring and upgrading classic handhelds and consoles.

This show is not a buyer's guide, nor an overly technical breakdown of the processes. It's a focused, historical slice of perspective on gaming; past, present and future. It is an exploration of the fragile nature of what we play and the lengths we will often go to, in order to recapture those memories. It's about the sheer joy of curation, archiving and preservation, and the strangely benign communities that have developed around these principles.

New Book: The Lights from Distant Bonfires: 18 Gothic Tales (Promo) Oct 31, 2022

In case you didn't catch this at the end of the Company of Wolves show yet, Sharon, myself and even Willow have helped put together an anthology of Gothic tales written by members of the School of Movies community.

It's available to buy right now on Amazon and if as many of you as possible buy it at once, talk about it on social media, (and if you want to be extra specially helpful leave us an honest, positive review when you've finished and recommend it to friends) that should help it get some visibility.

It's called "The Lights from Distant Bonfires" and we've been preparing it for many months now. These stories are stirring and spine-tingling and should conjure up haunting images to dwell on this Fall. We are keeping the price low and selling the paperback at cost to get it into as many trembling hands as possible.

USA Edition

UK Edition

The 14 Authors:
Lincoln Alpern, James Batchelor, Nama Chibitty, Greg Downing, Jesse Ferguson, Chris Finik, Nick Jaragosky, Hanna Peregrine, Alexander Shaw, Sharon Shaw, Willow Shaw, Maya Souris, Alejandra Vargas, Bradford Yurkiw

The Company of Wolves Oct 28, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This is an obscure coming-of age fable from the director of Interview With the Vampire and The Crying Game. It was made on a very low budget in 1984 in Shepperton Studios, England, but it has some of the best werewolf fiction within its toothy confines.

The framing device is a young girl who has gone to bed with tummy cramps. In her restless dreams she ties together various cautionary tails about Red Riding Hood, the boy who cried wolf, visitations from the Devil himself, wedding-day curses and strange men with one eyebrow and shocking yellow irises. The teller of many of these stories is the great Angela Lansbury, who at the time of release for this show, only just closed the last page of her own book.

And the whole thing is an allegorical anthology about the girl's growing, changing body, her sense of identity and burning curiosity.

Stay tuned to the end for news about a brand new Gothic Anthology book we've helped to create.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Oct 21, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

It is a confusing time to be a lover of Ghostbusters. On the one hand you have the long-planned but never-realised Ghostbusters 3 reunion Dan Aykroyd always had plans for. On the other you have the 2016 oops-all-ladies remakeboot which plenty of people enjoyed yet made some guys so mad they burned down half the internet and scared Sony (as well as malignantly harassing several of the stars away from social media).

And on the third hand you have the hot new take that the 1984 original movie is in fact capitalist trash and some compelling arguments about demonising the Environmental Protection Agency in Reagan-era America. And then there's this fourth movie that upon announcement met a storm of derision, perceived as placating those rotten fans mentioned above. And when it finally came out, late in 2021 it was so meek and inoffensive that it barely registered in a year when going back to the cinema was both special and risky.

The prevailing view is that it was also trash. So we brought in someone who helped us talk about the original two movies all the way back in 2013 to detail why it's their favourite!

Guest:

Taylor Nova of GameBurst @TaylorNova6

NOTE: This episode was recorded almost a year ago, and in an instance of spectacular timing, the final edit emerged within hours of some horrible reports on both Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman. This is why nearly all of my heroes are fictional. Because when you hear Captain America was horrendous to someone, that's on the writer.

Smile Oct 14, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

WARNING: This episode contains lengthy discussions on depression, trauma and suicide.

You do not need to see this movie before listening to the episode. In fact, in a rare instance we actually suggest you *don't* see it, for reasons we will be elaborating on at length.

It has reviewed well, and as with many horror movies based on a simple hook that shakes people up, it has done gangbusters at the box office. That puts it in league with Saw and Paranormal Activity and Insidious. And as you'll hear, on a technical scale, in terms of moment to moment nerve-jangling scenes it ties itself together with a confidence that makes debut director Parker Finn likely to be successful moving forward.

As I watched I became aware that the premise was uncannily similar to It Follows (2014) by David Robert Mitchell, and I've seen many people online echo that similarity. However, my idle brain found nine further films that this clearly draws from, which makes a spread of influences that is either shameless or impressive, depending on perspective. But that isn't the reason not to see it.

Guest:

Spencer Leeb of The New Century Multiverse

If you have ever felt the need to talk to somebody about this very serious and personal state of mind please bookmark whichever of these is helpful to you.

USA: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

UK Samaritans

Get Help, Talk Suicide: Canada

Australia Lifeline

Find a Helpline: Emotional Support in 150+ Countries

Lightyear Oct 07, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

It is hard to approach the Pixar of the 2020s with the same eye as the Pixar of the 2000s. For a long while this was a barely-interrupted chain of truly excellent and game-changing 3D animated films which signified to other studios that they didn't have to copy Disney in order to attain success, they could get their own Shrek. Their story structure was always reliably potent and they could blindside you with poignancy.

Then, as with disposable blockbusters, live action remakes of their hand-drawn heritage, unnecessary sequels, spin-offs, Star Wars and now Marvel, Pixar fell into the rhythm of the infernal Disney machine which appears to prize quantity over quality. But I feel uncomfortable even in the act of criticising a megacorporation who I want to see do better because there are so many bad-faith commentators out there getting performatively angry over every release.

Lightyear is based on a premise which instantly neither works nor makes sense. It is ostensibly a film from 1995, and yet at no point does it NOT feel like Pixar's fifth film release since the Pandemic began. And this is where the missed opportunities only begin!

Analyze This Sep 30, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Our favourite mafia movie, even over the venerated classics, for reasons that will become immediately apparent. This 1999 comedy directed by Harold Ramis was made at almost exactly the same time as The Sopranos first season was developed. Both explore the very real anxiety that comes with a lifestyle that is inherently dangerous, as well as one that involves such a close-knit family and all the loyalties, hopes, dreams, betrayals and disappointments that come with every other family, only this kind whack people for betrayal.

And we knew exactly who to call on for this analysis, our Australian buddies from The Two Shrinks Pod. Together with these professionals we delve into Robert De Niro's disarmingly vulnerable take on a worried father and a still-grieving son, along with Billy Crystal's harangued shrink, positively terrified of winding up sleeping with the fishes, whilst nursing his own paternal resentment.

School of Movies and Two Shrinks are part of the podcast group Fireside Alliance. Come along and check out the other shows we rub shoulders with. https://www.firesidealliance.com/

Guests:

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Amy Donaldson of @TwoShrinksPod

Four Slices of American Pie Sep 23, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

WARNING: This episode contains foul language and repeated references to very crude sexual situations, bodily fluids and some nasty-as-hell behaviour. Thou art warned!

This began as a simple re-watch of the original 1999 film "American Pie", but it quickly spiralled into a look back on the gross, frat-house movie craze of the early 2000s. We go through each film in turn and mine them for anything even remotely positive, before spanking the living hell out of them for their awful, creepy and sometimes disturbing attempts to wrestle laughs out of an audience that was growing up faster than they were.

American Pie 2 (2001) reunited the gang for spring break, American Wedding (2003) saw two of the more wholesome characters get married, whilst also depicting what I dubbed then and now as the death of comedy, maybe even the death of narrative cinema! And then the one with the most potential for retrospection on our own filthy, mistake-filled youths American Reunion (2012) brought everyone back as adults, thinning hairlines and disappointment all-round. And somehow, despite all the ingredients being present, they managed to bake their most rotten apple pie last! And yet despite all this, we managed to pull together one of the most fun shows we've done. This is going to be a favourite for some listeners.

Thor: Love and Thunder Sep 16, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Back when this was announced there was all kinds of excitement. Thor, much like his buddy Hulk was a character it seemed like Marvel took a while to get a handle on, relative to the duo of immediate home runs with Iron man and Captain America. The first film was a relative success, he contributed greatly to the chemistry of The Avengers, but then underwhelmed in The Dark World and felt vestigial in Age of Ultron.

But Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth's 2017 Ragnarok reinvention revealed a hilarious and savvy rogue still with his roots in the earnest early performances. This was followed by two wildly popular Avengers outings which harnessed a palpable rage and grief (though not without a problematic amount of fat-shaming). This evolving dimensionality made it seem like it was worth a victory lap, bringing Waititi back in. The spotlighting of Jane Foster and Natalie Portman's unexpected returned to the series adapting Jason Aaron's recent comic run.

It seemed very likely we would get an evolution of what the world saw Thor as. Especially considering the villain this time was largely sympathetic, as a simple man entirely let down by a pantheon of absurdly privileged complacent gods...

And then we watched the movie.

Guests:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Austin Wilden @WC_WIT of Wits-Writing

Everything Everywhere All At Once Sep 09, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

A truly magnificent film about pondering the nature of existence and being trapped between nihilistic despair and existential motivation.

But also a touching and painful drama about a little, broken Asian family who no longer know what to say to each other any more.

But also a spectacular running battle of martial arts and clownery, nestled inside a high-concept sci-fi about jumping between dimensions and occupying the bodies of the alternate versions of yourself, and borrowing the abilities they honed leading different lives to you.

This was a commissioned show, because there was SO MUCH to talk about that we would have delayed it forever otherwise. But now it's one of our very best shows. And that is due mostly to our guests who had so much to say. Nothing but editorial was cut. We've given you Everything!

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnewof Cinapse

Maya Souris @TheStuntLady

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door @MightyGregDoge

Alejandra Vargas @Plutoburns

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Speed Racer Sep 02, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Our unexpected year of the Wachowskis continues with a 2008 movie that fans feel passionately about, and a strong sense of it never really having a chance, being released the same summer as Iron man and The Dark Knight.

A squeaky-clean blockbuster painted in a dizzying kaleidoscope of primary colours with intense greens, pinks and purples to deliver what was supposed to feel like an anime in live action, but due to its unique and striking editing style of talking heads describing past, present and future events as they transition in real-time it winds up being entirely singular in its cinematic field.

There really genuinely is no other film quite like Speed Racer. Allow us to elucidate why you need to see this on the biggest, brightest screen available.

Guests:

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

They Live Aug 26, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

We venture back to John Carpenter for maybe his least marketable, most angry movies. You are probably aware of all those memes where a guy looks at a sign with sunglasses on and sees something direct and insidious usually masked with advertising. This is the film that's from.

In fact what surprised me after we finished recording was checking out those memes and finding that so goddamn many of them are from dudes who have decided that the liberal media, feminism, and the LGBTQIA+ community are the dominant overlords manipulating civilisation from a place of supreme power. It is tragicomic as a conclusion.

Anyway, this 1988 Matrix prototype starring a charismatic WWF wrestler is all about how alien lizard people control us through brainwashing. It can be a tough pill to swallow, you may have to spend an hour punching your best friend in the junk until he will accept this reality.

Guest:
Maya Souris @TheStuntLady

Man on Wire & The Walk Aug 19, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

The Summer Commissions Season continues with an unexpected highlight.

Here we have a brace of films focusing on the same real life event: Man on Wire (2008) and The Walk (2015). The former is a documentary about Philippe Petit the man who walked on a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The latter is the Robert Zemekis dramatization of that fairly astonishing heist. We recommend you see one or both of them, because they're fantastic in different ways.

The year was 1974, the towers were in the process of being built in Manhattan, and thousands of miles away a French street performer was cultivating a deep longing to traverse the tallest wire in the world. One tiny mistake, one miscalculation and he would plummet to a very public death. But first he had to get up there, and for that he and his cronies were going to need to pull off one of the most extraordinary real life heists of all time.

The Incredibles 1 & 2 Aug 12, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Our summer commissions season continues. It's surprising that this show has been going as long as it has only covering a handful of Pixar movies. So this one will be welcome to many listeners.

Putting the original 2004 film in perspective, it was incredibly important as a touchstone for what became the age of superhero blockbusters. It has so many significant elements that Marvel applied to their works (appropriate since this is to date, the best Fantastic Four movie!)

So, fourteen years later the sequel takes place fourteen seconds after the first while we've all gotten a lot older.

Next week two films focusing on the same real life event: Man on Wire (2008) and The Walk (2015). The former is a documentary about the man who walked on a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the latter is the Robert Zemekis dramatization of that fairly astonishing heist. We recommend both.

Blade Runner 2049 Aug 05, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Five years after our show on the 1982 original (which you will now find next to this on the podcast feed) and coincidentally falling on the 40th anniversary of that film, we look at the follow-up, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

Astonishingly, considering its seminal position in film history the Ridley Scott original was treated dismissively by our parents and grandparents. It fell to Gen-Xers to rediscover it on video in the early 90s to really elevate its status. The wonders a Director’s Cut will do for those first impressions.

And 2049 followed suit, garnering a surprising level of disinterest despite being magnificently crafted, insanely scored, impeccably performed and beautifully photographed. But again, in home format, this one has been gaining traction. And if it is the last Blade Runner film, then the duet currently in existence work together supremely well, for reasons we delve into here.

This episode was a commission for Parker. We’ve been wanting to cover it for years, but it has just been so intimidating to attempt that we appreciate the hard nudge and we hope we and our excellent guest did this one justice.

Guest:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnewof Cinapse

Blade Runner Aug 02, 2022

[School of Movies 2017]

[Note: This is a re-release of the original Blade Runner to coincide with our show on 2049 this week.]

Here's a short, and by no means exhaustive list of entertainment works influenced by this one movie...

RoboCop, Akira, Back to the Future Part II, Ghost in the Shell, The Fifth Element, The Matrix, Futurama, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, I, Robot, Minority Report, Serenity, WALL-E, Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prometheus, District 9, Alex + Ada, Almost Human, Black Mirror, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Dredd, Chappie, Her, Ex-Machina, Valerian and Westworld.

This episode we discuss Ridley Scott's ponderous, flawed, but hugely impactful and striking vision of the future, and musing on the nature of humanity, accompanied by Vangelis, and one of the greatest scores ever put to film.

Guests

Taylor Nova of TheKidDogg

Collin Miller of The Cinema Cephalopod

Harley Quinn (Seasons 1 & 2) Jul 29, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

The initial trailers for this one had me groaning. We were still pre-Birds of Prey movie so it was easy to assume the touchstone for this one was the first Suicide Squad movie, plus extreme cartoon violence and crudity. Well I was right about the second two!

Turns out this is one of the smartest, most psychologically explorative of DC's vast back catalogue of superhero TV. Primarily because it is framed first as a relationship drama, second as a comedy and third as a DC world. But even with that lowered priority and an emphasis on wild chaos there is still the flavour of authenticity about the vast majority of the characters. This writing and production team have paid attention.

And crucially, after teasing us with an early on meeting and lightning chemistry between Harley and Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series way back in 1993 we finally get to see them cultivate a close friendship onscreen... At least it *would* be ONLY a close friendship if this were Disney. So thank goodness it's not!

For this episode we steer clear of serious spoilers until a dedicated section at the end, so even if you haven't seen any episodes you can listen to this.

Ms. Marvel (MCU) Jul 22, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

This is our second show on Kamala Khan. The first was all the way back in 2017 when we talked about her first comic miniseries. I've re-released that show on the podcast feed so these two can be companion pieces.

The Disney+ miniseries delivered almost exactly what we had been hoping for all these years. A bright, funny, courageous Pakistani-American girl hero. Instantly iconic and clearly in love with all things Marvel.

We did not expect the drama to be quite so naturalistic and poignant, the family to be so much more interesting than the interdimensional shenanigans or the gut punch of the 1947 Partition of India which stands as the centrepiece. This real life event created millions of immigrant refugee stories and generational hurt across a cultural divide which exists to this day.

Also the soundtrack is amazing!

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Chris Finik @finmonster09 who assembles New Century's TV Tropes Pages and who writes fanfic (including a Dark Tower / Tiger's Eye crossover)

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Ms. Marvel (Comics) Jul 21, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This is a reupload of our 2017 show discussing the first series of Ms. Marvel comics. It works as a great companion piece to our show on the 2022 MCU TV series.

In 2013 a brand new Marvel character was introduced to the world, one who is very reminiscent of classic Peter Parker, a goofy, hapless, sweet-natured teenager who just wants to help people. She's also the world's premier, headlining Muslim superhero, and very much due a movie or TV series to bring her to mass popularity like those who came before her.

In tonight's episode we are joined by Alasdair Stuart, owner of Escape Artists and long-time comic-book expert, to enthusiastically discuss why the younger generations are already loving Kamala Khan, and why she's so important in the grand scheme.

You don't have to have read any of her comics, but by the end of this you will want to.

Guest:

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Pod

Obi Wan Kenobi Jul 15, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

There are two things about Star Wars that seem endemic, inextricable from the process of engaging with the multitude of stories that have emerged over the many years since 1977.

One is that we always seem to return to Tatooine. It ties in with the fact that Star Wars plays on nostalgia. Even as early as 1983's Return of the Jedi they were bringing us back to that sand planet only actually named out loud at the tail end of The Empire Strikes Back. That movie also continued the long procession of Death Stars. But if we accept that these touchstones will mean that many people's first Star Wars will feature Tatooine, we can accept that this nostalgia and going back to that feeling when you were a kid, and could get excited about all sorts of things, that's the source of its power. George's movie was itself based on his own nostalgia for spacefaring adventure, cowboys and samurai.

The other element that one must accept if one is to be at peace with Star Wars is that as that multitude of stories emerge over the years of our lives we are going to encounter not just one but a cluster over a period of time that disappoint us and make us feel like this saga has lost its way and isn't for us any more. But inevitably if that love was there to begin with, something will come along and surprise us in a good way.

And for us that was Obi Wan.

Guests:

Chris Finik @finmonster09 who assembles New Century's TV Tropes Pages and who writes fanfic (including a Dark Tower / Tiger's Eye crossover)

Austin Wilden @WC_WIT of Wits-Writing

The Lost Boys & Lost Men of Taika Waititi Jul 08, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This is an exploration on the more personal, less studio-based films of Thor Ragnaraok and Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi. Most of you won't have seen all of them, and that is okay, you should listen to this episode in its entirety anyway. The show will give you more details to look for when you get to watching them.

03m: Eagle vs. Shark (2007)

25m: Boy (2010)

41m: Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

59m: Jojo Rabbit (2019)

All of them have many factors in common, but the unifying factors are parents not being around, and lonely boys going through a transformative journey. There is dark, offhand humour, spectacular immaturity, sudden unexpected pain and loss, and resolutions that are as soothingly healthy as they are oddball. Altogether, Waititi is one of the most riveting directors of our time, and it brings us a lot of joy to study his repeating themes along with you.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Jul 01, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This one hit us mere hours after the finale of Moon Knight. It has been six years since the first Doctor Strange hit in late 2016. To the point where the dangling threads of that film are ignored, because Stephen has made four more appearances since then, and been instrumental in deliberately instigating The Snap.

But even that is mostly pushed to the side as this film becomes the follow-up to the first Disney+ Marvel TV show, WandaVision. And the handling of that factor by dream director for many; Evil Dead and Spider-Man-helmer Sam Raimi has caused this to become one of the most polarising of MCU movies.

We needed several months to think hard about it, and this is what we really wanted to say. Many thanks to our brilliant guests for lending perspective and also putting into understandable words how time and dimensional travel seems to work within Marvel's Earth 616 (movies and TV not comics).

Guests:

Chris Finik @finmonster09 who assembles New Century's TV Tropes Pages and who writes fanfic (including a Dark Tower / Tiger's Eye crossover)

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom & Dominion Jun 24, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Two films about dinosaurs as a metaphor for our own existential fear of extinction.

We've held back on talking about the second film, released in 2018 because I was waiting on the onscreen consequences of the big decision at the end. While some folks considered Fallen Kingdom to be the worst in the franchise (I even saw a video declaring it the worst movie ever made - clearly somebody who has never seen Swamp Shark) we actually quite like it.

Don't get us wrong, it's dumb as a sack of hammers, but there are qualities that win it points with us that the other sequels don't have, not least of which is the director of the Orphanage, one of the finest ghost stories ever put to film, Juan Antonio Bayona.

After that I tell Sharon all about the third movie (we keep all spoilers for that section). One could say Jurassic Park needed no sequels, but when has NEED ever factored in when the prospect of a billion dollars was on the table?

Vampire’s Kiss Jun 22, 2022

[School of Movies 2020]

After the sexy teen rebels of The Lost Boys we delve into the cutthroat underworld of New York big business and the predatory nature of its ambitious executives, hollow inside and devoid of a soul, trying to fill that emptiness with delusions that their success excuses them from the people they hurt to achieve their power.

Listen, when you bring in Nicholas Cage and tell him to just go nuts with a role you're paying for spectacle not subtlety. This began as a Quick Review but quickly became one of the funniest shows we've recorded, centring around one of the weirdest performances we've witnessed.

FACE/OFF Jun 17, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

The third in the Rage Cage trinity, released less than a month after Con Air, this movie saw our boy Nick set against John Travolta, who was at the time flying high on the success of Pulp Fiction a few years previously.

The premise of "Good guy wears bad guy's face" is completely nuts for a start, but what it allows us to see onscreen is two extremely intense actors performing as both a wackadoo international terrorist-for-hire and the broken, obsessed FBI agent hellbent on revenge. Science and physics are utterly abandoned in favour of comic book logic, but the proceedings remained nonetheless a slick bullet ballet just oozing with star-power as the two leads try to out-weird each other.

Action maestro John Woo had only just begun to direct films for a western audience (following Hard Target and Broken Arrow) but this might be the most fondly remembered.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

Con Air Jun 10, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

The Rage Cage Season continues, as Nicholas transforms himself into a statuesque Army Ranger from Alabama with a mullet (as We Hate Movies would say) to beat the band! It's had to imagine from every movie he was in before and since but here he's a combination of the peace-making soft tones of Jesus and the spin-kicks of Chuck Norris.

Handed a severe sentence after defending himself and his pregnant wife from literally the worst man in the world, Cameron Poe is sent home after eight years in jail. Unfortunately he is put on a plane with superstar celebrity convicts renowned for their violent crimes. And when they inevitably take control of the plane, leaving Cameron in a sticky position he is faced with a choice; get off when prompted and get back to his family or stay and try to do something good. The resultant film is riot of explosions, glossy action cinematography and highly memorable, equally quotable dialogue.

For this episode we brought in the Franchise Killer podcast (from our shows on Super Mario Bros and Shazam!) Check out their show.

https://franchisekillerpod.podbean.com/

Guests:

From the Franchise Killer Podcast: @FK_Podcast

David Schmitzer

Irena Schmitzer

Rhys Paine

The Rock Jun 03, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This is the start of our Rage Cage Season, celebrating the span of twelve months between Summer 1996 and Summer 1997 when Nicholas Cage was somehow the hottest action star of the age. He's quite appealingly low-key in this one, relative to the next two; Con Air and FACE/OFF.

This is Michael Bay's best film. That's not hyperbole, it really is, in terms of how well-executed each set-piece is, how the momentum holds you without wearing you down, memorable performances, sympathetic characters and how the drama and human interaction functions surprisingly well.

I also consider it Sean Connery's swansong. Not his last film, but his last great film, as well as a backdoor Old Man Bond farewell. In fact, while you're listening to this episode you'll hear how the text of this film actively supports this being quite literally the same guy we saw in Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, all the way up to Diamonds are Forever.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

The Mandalorian (Season 1) May 27, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

A long-awaited visit to the first of Disney's new Star Wars TV shows. Weirdly we haven't had that many requests to talk Mando, but with Obi Wan launching this week and in the wake of the turbulent response to The Book of Boba we decided to journey back to the first and delve into what it did extremely well.

We divided the eight episodes into three movies, loosely paralleling Sergei Leone's Dollars Trilogy with A Fistful of Beskar, For a Few Credits More and my personal favourite... The Good, The Bad and The Ugnaught. With us are two people who had literally never seen an episode of Mando before signing up for guest duty, so we get their fresh perspective without spoiling what comes later.

Next week we begin the 'Rage Cage Season' as we explore the very brief period in the late 90s when Nicholas Cage was the hottest new high octane action star around! Three shows over three weeks as he gets madder and madder, The Rock, Con Air and FACE/OFF.

I have spoken.

Guests

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Taylor Nova of GameBurst @TaylorNova6

Moon Knight May 20, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

A risky venture on Marvel's part. More than one might imagine. This is a character who is mostly known in the comics as a street-level supernatural vigilante (somewhere between Batman and Blade) and from a meme where that nerd Dracula owes him money.

But more than that, in this TV miniseries, he's a Jewish superantihero played by a Guatemalan, directed by an Egyptian, and penned by the writer of the cursed 2015 Fantastic Four reboot that everyone forgot. And it deals chiefly over everything else, even the mythology... with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

And when you get to the end, after all the theatrics and horror, after all the mummies and costumes and screaming and creepy cults, the abiding memory is a pair of distinct and sympathetic performances from Oscar Isaac. The Moon Knight is almost incidental!

Join us now as we talk the ups and downs of this strange journey.

Indiegogo for "The Bludgeoning": https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-bludgeoning-working-title#/

Guests

Chris Finik @finmonster09 who assembles New Century's TV Tropes Pages and who writes fanfic (including a Dark Tower / Tiger's Eye crossover)

Nick Jaragosky: SOM Discord regular and occasional guest on the Commanderin' MTG podcast

Batman: Breakdown [Audio Drama] May 13, 2022

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This was my first full-length audio drama. It was designed to be enjoyed by folks who saw the Nolan films the Arkham video games or the Animated Series. I wanted to write something significant, honest and authentic about the Batman legend and with a lot of help from long-time serious Bat-fan, David Hartrick, I was able to shape a bunch of ideas into a hopefully coherent story. It was originally released a week before The Dark Knight Rises.

None of the cast, including myself were professional actors, but we all worked very hard to capture the essence of the characters we portrayed. The writing, organisation and editing all of this together took dozens of hours, and it was equal parts exhausting and rewarding. For comic fans this is an Elseworlds (What If?) tale that takes place after Hush (2002) and Under the Hood (2005). This also fits with the motion-comic/audio drama adaptation of The Killing Joke that I put together the following year in 2013.

Script: Alex Shaw / Story: Alex Shaw & David Hartrick / Editing: Alex Shaw

Cast

Bruce Wayne/Joker/Jason: Alex Shaw
Barbara Gordon/Oracle: Leah Haydu
Dick Grayson/Nightwing: Taylor Nova
Tim Drake/Robin: Daniel Floyd
Clark Kent/Superman: James Batchelor
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman/Estelle: Tara Nelson
Selina Kyle/Catwoman/Bank Clerk: Cassandra Corgard
Alfred Pennyworth: Matthew Ramsey
Doctor Jennifer Whitman: Sharon Shaw
Cops: Matt Whetter/Sharon Shaw/Alex Shaw
Thieves: Taylor Nova/Matt Whetter/Alex Shaw

David Hartrick writes for In Bed With Maradona, the award-winning home of World Football: http://inbedwithmaradona.com/

The Batman May 06, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

One of the biggest films of the year, celebrated for its dark beauty and mature themes. If you loved Matt Reeves' The Batman chances are the vast majority of moviegoers and critics are in the same boat.

I'm not in that boat. I'm on a tiny little raft made of twigs and optimistic delusion, drifting off towards a whirlpool leading straight down to sea-Hell, surrounded by electric sharks and mecha-jellyfish. For many reasons this was a miserable experience for me, but the last thing I wanted to do was moan about it or tread on anyone's toes for liking it.

So I crafted what I hope is a really entertaining episode that actually looks back over all of the Batman movies. It gets meta, because that's what this series is; a perpetually shifting cultural statement on how to make darkness, vengeance and crimefighting appealing. And next week, as a companion piece, I have something I made about Batman a long time ago that a lot of you won't have heard.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit Apr 29, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Daft bunny with amazing wife *may* have dropped a safe on a cartoon-arms dealer...

An absolutely one-time deal, just like Lord of the Rings and Titanic, this perfect melding of live action and beautiful hand-drawn animation convincingly interacting in 3D space, coupled with a whip-quick hilarious script as well as the kind of combination of studio properties that just never happens any more. Disney don't take part in those Ready Player Ones or Space Jams, and it was crucial that the masters of western animation in the 20th Century hand over the keys to their kingdom, circa 1947.

But even the above description sells short how skilled the actors were, whether painted or not, how they sell the world via dry delivery, and how Bob Hoskins unexpected mastery of physicality in the role stems from Chaplin and Keaton. This thing is a masterpiece containing masterpieces. And we are here with our buddy Dan to talk about the many levels of special you discover revisiting as a sharp-eyed adult.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus @DanFloydPlus

The Secrets of Dumbledore Apr 22, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

I could just have told you folks not to see this one, but the whole world appears to have gotten the memo on that. I could also have just ignored it, but Harry Potter was important to a LOT of us in the past (and still many now) so a reappraisal of where the hell the Wizarding World sits today, and how we got to this place was in order.

It turned into a lengthy investigation as to just how many things can go wrong and how many problematic people have to be involved with your production before you pull the plug. This one delves into what plot is there, but frankly there's nothing to spoil that ain't already wrecked.

The Road to El Dorado Apr 15, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Back at the turn of the century Dreamworks were going after Disney hard. The first lasting challenge to the mouse monopoly of animated cinema in the west involved a similar hand-drawn traditional style to match their 90s Renaissance. Notably that was a period of amazing achievement following mediocrity, thanks in no small part due to Dreamworks very own Lord Farquaad, Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The four films in this soon-abandoned endeavour were The Prince of Egypt, which did gangbusters, horse-botherer Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, the box office pirate shipwreck, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and this one, released in 2000, about a pair of ne-er-do-well conmen finding the fabled lost Aztec city against the disturbing backdrop of the arrival in Mesoamerica of Francisco Cortes. But all of these were releasing at the dawn of the Shrek Age, and they themselves represent a now-fading culture conquered by merciless superior technology.

Guests:

Mackenzie & Nathan Eastram @KenziePhoenix @bertnerdtram of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod and Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Withnail & I Apr 08, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

A cult British classic made in 1987, set in 1969 and an utter failure at the box office. With the advent of affordable videos in the 1990s this one later became very popular with students who warmed to its story of two out of work actors living in ridiculous squalor. It's insanely quotable and darkly funny if you have the corresponding frequency of humour (I think I'm going to use this term in future. It's not a binary thing and that misconception is used all too often as a limp shield for crappy comedian behaviour).

Richard E. Grant plays Withnail, a persistently drunken, excessively verbose drama queen. Paul McGann play's "I" (whose uncredited name is Marlowe) a mousy, skittish neurotic afraid of being attacked by a hostile world of beefy, aggressive men.

Together the pair of them borrow Withnail's Uncle Monty's cottage in Penrith and have an impromptu holiday to escape their troubles, only to find they have brought them along too. They are pitiful wretches and we should loathe them, but it's easy to feel sympathy and empathy all the same.

This one deals with some confused issues of unexplored homosexuality and predatory behaviour (fuelled by the writer/director's own unfortunate experiences as a young man), so you may have to bear with it until the full context is unfolded. But it would be entirely understandable if you want to put a pin in this for later.

Secret of NIMH / American Tail / Land Before Time Apr 01, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

A trio of films that are considered by many to be the crowning glories of Don Bluth's oeuvre. He was one of the only serious competitors to Disney in the last two decades of the 20th Century that they had dominated, in terms of what constituted animated cinema in the west.

We take a documentarian approach to how he started, and cover the flourishing of the next few years, breaking off at their high point, actually beating Disney at the box office. After this it was a slow decline of valiant attempts and disappointing failures, making films that evoked the elegant, classical stylings of Cinderella, Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty when the public wanted Toy Story, and Disney were experiencing their 90s Renaissance.

This one gets dark and hard, even more so than you might imagine, if you're familiar with the sometimes disturbing nature of this body of work. But it's utterly fascinating if you can push through that.

Guest:

Kat Essman @Kat325

Mario Kart Mar 25, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

Lunatic eats strange fungus, throws reptile carcases and banana peel out of his car. Everyone cheers!

One of the most beloved of game series, the racing title that prides itself on accessibility (most of the time) and appeal to all ages, with a consistently high bar of quality (imagine if every Sonic game had that) and a lasting appeal that both piques nostalgia and makes us excited for the future.

What began as a multiplayer sequel to vintage SNES launch title F-Zero became a flagship Nintendo showcase of their core Mario-related characters. We look at the development history and how the series has evolved over thirty years, the gambles that didn't pay off, the elements we now take for granted and the key aspects that make it work so well.

What's abundantly clear is that everyone has a different favourite and everyone has at least one example in the series that they just bounce off. We eschew discussion on the obscure arcade games, the remote control car for your mansion, and the Switch DLC rollout, as that won't be finished for years, but we DO talk about the phone-based Tour (2019) and its microtransaction-plagued experience.

For this epic show we played through every cup, and tried every multiplayer and battle mode in Super Mario Kart on the SNES (1992), Mario Kart 64 (1997) Super Circuit for GBA (2001) Double Dash for GameCube (2003) DS (2005) Wii (2008) 7 for 3DS (2011) and 8 for Wii U and Switch (2014). And yes, we do talk about Tour for phones (2019).

The other unexpected and fascinating side of the show to pay particular attention to, which didn't become apparent until the edit is how Nintendo advertised each game over three decades. Their approach and audience changes over time and you can really hear that in the commercials. PLUS the whole thing is peppered with music that will evoke good times.

Guest:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Bound Mar 18, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

We continue an unexpected year of diving into the back-catalogue of The Wachowskis. Speed Racer is on the way, and this right here is a dark little neo noir about stealing from murderous mobsters.

It's all claustrophobic labyrinthine interiors, black and white, red and green with overtones of German expressionism. Bill Pope the same Director of Photography as the first three Matrix films, Don Davis who likewise handled scoring detail, and Zach Staenberg as editor *and* Joe Pantoliano playing a total dirtbag makes this in many ways feel more like The Matrix than the fourth movie.

Also this is a steamy lesbian romance and this is VERY not safe for work!

Guest:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Sing & Sing 2 Mar 11, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

This was unexpected... followed by yet more unexpectation.

When I first saw the teaser trailer for the original film, all the way back in 2016 I thought the dancing pig picture would be inane and perpetually irritating, only to find out from trusted critics that there was way more below the surface. And they were right, I loved it immediately. Ever since then we've been promising to do a show.

So, now we've finally got around to it, as the commission escorted to the front of the line this cheery, toe-tapping, occasionally melancholy film about the drive to perform. And we were surprised yet again with what we found. Not all of it fantastic when scrutinised.

And since the sequel launched in theatres the same week we recorded I followed up with a completely separate section starting at 1h 2m, detailing to Sharon how the sequel develops on the original. Even though everything we found wasn't peachy-keen we still recommend seeing both movies as they are rather lovely.

Street Fighter Mar 04, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Picture the scene; It's late 1994 and young teens who have thrown a thousand hadoukens in arcades and on home consoles throughout the early 90s finally get to go to the cinema and see their favourite characters battling in live action.

The casting seems superficially solid. Jean-Claude Van Damme is at the peak of his career path, Raoul Julia was wildly entertaining in the Adams Family movies and The Locomotion... is a catchy tune performed by Australian soap star Kylie Minogue... and we don't recognise most of the others so they must be accomplished martial artists. Surely this one is an easy win.

In later years this movie became a celebrated campy classic, its often ludicrous lines quoted ad nauseum. Let's look at the experience of actually sitting down and watching it with a critical eye.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

Akira Feb 25, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Your eyes do not deceive you, we are doing anime this week. Ironically the only other Main Event show we've done of this ilk is Kiki's Delivery Service, which emerged the year after this film and replaced it as the most expensive Japanese animated cinematically-released production of the era. You wouldn't think it, comparing that sweet tale about an enthusiastic girl who gets burnout in Stockholm to this cyberpunk epic.

As striking today as it was in 1988, this is a film of vital importance that is stunning to witness. A harsh, thrilling journey through an alternate 2019 civilisation on the brink of explosion. Roving gangs of biker clowns make war in the streets as wrinkled old psychic children face down a furious, embittered and hellishly powerful teenage boy.

If you've never seen it, find the highest quality transfer, turn out the lights and switch off your phone. This is one for the ages.

Hawkeye Feb 18, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

Bouncing back from What If? Marvel came out swinging with a street-level Christmas crime caper. This served the dual purposes of finally giving the least-loved Avenger some substantial spotlighting, and ghosts of his past to deal with, and introducing us to a brand new Hawkeye in the form of Kate Bishop.

Hailee Steinfeld was offered the role the moment she walked into casting director Sara Halley Finn's office. Kevin Feige had seen her in Bumblebee, Spider-Verse, Dickinson (and hopefully Edge of Seventeen, which is splendid) and knew already that she had the charm and pep and serious acting chops to be a young Avenger.

But is this six-episode miniseries the ideal place for her story, or did it get lost among the scrabble for screen time from some seriously charismatic appearances?

Guests:

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door @MightyGregDoge

The Matrix Resurrections Feb 11, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

We come to it at last, maybe the final Matrix film directed by a Wachowski. Though this vein of property is worth too much money to the IP-owner to leave unmined.

Representing a refinement and evolution of the philosophies laid down two decades ago. This film was launched a week after Spider-Man: No Way Home and just before Christmas Day, due to a prior arrangement with HBO. This dismal decision, coupled with Lana Wachowski's revised approach to both storytelling and action led to this film being both critically panned and rejected by audiences everywhere. Par for the course on Matrix sequels.

However, some folks absolutely adored the tale that was being wound back on itself and then forward into the future. At the time of recording the only other show that we had in the can was the 2019 one on the original, so this represents a close-out of the series through the lens of diving back in to reassess, as we then proceeded to Reloaded, the Animatrix and Revolutions.

Next week: Hawkeye

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

The Matrix Revolutions Feb 04, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

The least-loved, most-hated, and in consequence least-explored of the Matrix saga finally gets the School of Movies treatment. The 1999 original is turned on its head here, resulting in a film that almost seems the inverse of everything that got us fired up in the first place. But it was a necessary refocusing in order to expand outwards from Morpheus' dogmatic vision of "Us vs. Them".

Philosophically this lands in a healthier place, even if so much of what we see feels mismanaged, awkward, stalling for time and sometimes downright annoying. We go all-out here to clear away the debris of the original conclusion and lay bare the depth of thought beneath.

Next week we close out with what might well be the last Matrix movie. Certainly the last steered by a Wachowski.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod and Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

The Animatrix Jan 28, 2022

[School of Everything Else 2022]

A very solid argument could be made for this being a movie, and thus being in the "Everything Else" category being erroneous. However, the focus of this episode is the trans-media endeavour that The Matrix series became.

It straddles four films, a PS2 game named Enter The Matrix, an MMORPG named The Matrix Online and this anthology of nine short animated films, and it is ALL official story canon. The only release which doesn't quite fit this is The Path of Neo, another PS2 game which fills in the blanks of Neo's journey towards fulfilling the prophecy of The One, and while most of it probably happened the end is a direct departure, or at least an abstraction of the narrative.

So that's what powers this discussion, and The Animatrix is absolutely worth watching now, though as you will hear it is not only surprisingly violent and grim at times, but the shorts vary in depth rather significantly.

Next week we conclude the original Trilogy with the Matrix Revolutions

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod and Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

The Matrix Reloaded Jan 21, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

For this one we went all-out. It was an incredibly rich and dense discussion for the initial recording and I have added a ton of extra content, all to the sounds of the eclectic soundtrack and the rarely-heard extended score of Don Davis.

This is the first part of an evolution of the binary Us vs. Them dichotomy of The Matrix (1999) and was far less successful in ensnaring audiences with expanded perspective. What Film 2 sets up, Film 3 knocks down, and then decades later, Film 4 then ruminates on.

So if you always thought the sequels were trash this may at least convey what they were trying to say. If you've always had a soft spot for them this will be a dream come true.

Next week we will be focusing on The Animatrix (2003)

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod and Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

The Matrix Jan 14, 2022

[School of Movies 2019]

NOTE: This is a re-release of the 2019 episode. It is one of our best shows and constitutes vital groundwork before we cover the three sequels over the next few weeks.

This one has been a phenomenally long time coming. Not only is it a dense and complex movie that's impossible to fully summarise even in our lengthier shows, not only does it mean a huge amount to millions of people, not only is it intrinsically linked with disappointing sequels (whom some claim don't even exist) but it's probably the one movie that got my brain moving the most at the tender age of 19. And as we'll discuss in upcoming weeks, there's complexities in those follow-ups that are key to better understanding the overall symbolism at play here.

That and Fight Club. And like the antics of Tyler Durdan, there are aspects of this film that have not so much 'dated' as they have taken on a horrible new significance over the past twenty years, via misinterpretation. So this is a show that would have been very different in 1999, in 2004, in 2009 or even in 2014. And I'm willing to bet that in five year's time we'll feel differently again, such is the way the 'Real World' moves.

So buckle your seat belt Dorothy, 'cos Kansas is going bye-bye.

Avatar Jan 07, 2022

[School of Movies 2022]

Highly appropriately we cap off the James Cameron season with both the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end. We are starting 2022 with the original Avatar from 2009, and hopefully we will be finishing the year with Avatar 2. But with four more sequels planned out over the next decade it's very possible this man will spend the rest of his life on Pandora.

And that feels weirdly appropriate. He spent the first half of the 2000s under the sea, obsessively re-examining the wreck of Titanic. Then he began to craft this whole new world to escape to, and he's been there ever since.

But how does this first film stand up alone? Without the benefits of a mountain of hype and a huge 3D screen. How is it on just a big TV in a darkened living room? Jump on your Ikran and fly through the alien jungle with us.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Dec 31, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

A lively and enthusiastic end of one trilogy and setup for a different flavour of future web-slinging, this thing drew gasps, cheers and applause, even from my British audience, and we don't cheer for anything except football.

This is a really special and important Spider-Man movie. Beyond all hyperbole and landmark moments in comic-book style crossovers it is a story about the serious toll that being Spidey extracts from everyone under that signature mask.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two also of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Austin Wilden @WC_WIT of Wits-Writing

Nama Chibitty of our Discord @NamaTheNerd

Titanic Dec 24, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This is the big one, folks. This is the movie I didn't realise how passionate I was about until we started engaging our analytical style to it. I've had Titanic in the back of my head as a film I really wanted to talk about for many many years, and I suspect i was waiting for The Abyss and True Lies to hit blu ray so we could do a James Cameron Season, or at least for Avatar 2 to finally emerge. In the end we just had to go ahead and hoist the anchor without them.

As it turns out this massive, cinematic phenomenon is rather special. Despised by some, upon its release in 1997, it found the largest audience ever, and bewitched them. And it achieved this success not by being flashy and showy alone, but by giving us a story that many would want to return to again and again. That's one of the more powerful ways to get that top spot.

And I say this without hyperbole, in terms of shows I've put together with just Sharon and I at the mics, this might be the appropriately grandest. We pulled out all the stops and the edit took five days. So turn the lights low, grab a mug of hot stuff and settle in for a tale of haunted ice.

The Ref Dec 17, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Taking a break from Cameron Season to focus on a holiday movie hardly anybody has seen or knows about. This one from 1994, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer is one of the anti-Christmas set. One for people who see the entire family coming over as a bit of a nightmare, rather than the most wonderful time of the year.

The focus is on Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur, a married couple on the rocks, at one another's throats the whole time and each sitting on a powder-keg of resentment. Things take a turn one Christmas Eve when Gus, an irascible cat burglar hiding from the cops takes them hostage, only to find them impossible to deal with.

And then the whole family come round and Gus has to pretend to be their marriage counsellor, Dr Wong, it's a seasonal farce, but one with unexpected heart and grit. It might be hard-going if you don't like dragging everything out to be examined, but we crafted this show to cater to the majority who haven't ever seen this, so you'll get a full sense of the story play out as we guide you through.

And it ends well.

Next week, one of the most magnificent shows we've ever put together, befitting of the subject matter: Titanic.

True Lies Dec 10, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The Cameron season continues with yet another massive blockbuster for its time that is almost impossible to find in HD today. You can see why we held off this long, just waiting for Jim and the studios to get their act together and release these from the vaults.

(Un)luckily(?) Disney have handed the IP over to a new director to make a Disney+ show. It almost certainly won't contain Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jamie Lee Curtis, and the world we're in right now is wildly different to the 1994 this emerged into. It was even a year before Pierce Brosnan's debut as James Bond. And I struggle to fathom why they would want to capitalise on a brand that has been purposefully buried for nearly 30 years, AND hand that project to McG of all people!

But doing so will at least (probably?) bring the film we're covering today to the most accessible streaming platform, so we can all collectively suck air in through our mouths as the brazen, complacent mid-90s dick-waggling at terrorism plays out.

Harry Tasker is a nerdy computer sales representative, or at least that's what his bored wife, Helen thinks. In reality this astonishing-looking man is in fact a covert spy for America. The most believable thing about this extremely entertaining movie is that they would keep smart-talking plot-anchor Tom Arnold in the van the whole time.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Dec 03, 2021

[Digital Drift 2015]

This was originally released in 2015 in a series covering the (then) five Terminator movies. But it seemed wildly appropriate to recover and spotlight the first two as the Cameron-directed pair stand tall as recognised classics while the rest imitate (though we maintain that Dark Fate from 2019 is a worthy completion of a Trilogy. Check out our April 2020 episode on that woefully overlooked conclusion).

Unlike The Abyss everyone has seen T2. So we delve into the subtleties and lore, starting off with taking it to task over the time travel, but proceeding into this story as a parable for unilateral disarmament.

Joshua Garrity joins us once again to explore this cybernetic opera, in which Los Angeles of the 1990s is as much a character as any of the vibrant figures onscreen. Many thanks to Daniel Floyd for a segment of his on the existentially powerful arcade game Missile Command.

Guest:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

The Abyss Nov 26, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The first all-new show for the James Cameron season, and it's a doozy.

You may have heard stories about the troubled events of the shoot, and what the actors and crew were forced to go through by their hard taskmaster of a director. Or you may not have. Many people, especially in their 20s or below might never have seen or even *heard* of this 1989 film, sandwiched between Aliens and Terminator 2, since it would appear Cameron himself has been trying to keep it buried at the bottom of the sea for more than 32 years!

There's little other explanation as to why it hasn't received an authorised remastering since the days of laserdisc (ask your grandfathers). So, journey down with us now, as Sharon and I strap on our specialised deep-diving gear and prepare to breathe-in the pink water.

Aliens Nov 13, 2021

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

NOTE: This episode has been significantly re-edited, and I would say improved for its 2021 overhaul. The original 2012 show can be found on the School of Movies Archive feed.

James Cameron took the helm from Ridley Scott, and made this sequel into something that complimented and expanded upon the masterful original. With more of a Sci-Fi action feel, the director of Avatar, the two best Terminator films and Piranha II: The Spawning chose to focus on humorous machismo, strong female characters, and a socio-political, anti-military, anti-corporate agenda… it would not be the last time.

Once again we tried to be as serious as possible, once again we failed, hence the multitude of outtakes at the end which include at least one of us in the grip of hysterics.

Guests:

Leah Haydu of Cane and Rinse

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

James Perkins of Starburst Magazine

The Terminator Nov 12, 2021

[Digital Drift 2015]

NOTE: The James Cameron season begins! And rather than making you go back and root through the School of Movies Archive podcast feed for the shows on some of his very best films, we are re-releasing The Terminator and Terminator 2 that we recorded for Digital Drift in 2015. Along with this I have done an extensive re-edit of our 2012 show on Aliens for Digital Gonzo. That will be out tomorrow.

Coming up in the next few weeks, intermitting with our show on The Eternals and possibly Ghostbusters: Afterlife we have brand new episodes on The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic and Avatar.

Now to the film that brought the sci-fi movement in the 80s to a new plateau and made James Cameron a name in the industry. This dark tale of a soldier from a future war coming back to protect an unborn leader may have many elements which stem from a bunch of other works, but it tells itself in such dramatic, intense fashion that it feels special and unnerving, epic and yet intimate. This thing cost $6.4 million and changed cinema forever.

We turn over every aspect as we establish just how central to the web of sci-fi influence throughout the 80s and beyond this movie is.

Guest:

Josh Garrity of Cane and Rinse

The Eternals Nov 11, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This one came out surprisingly contentious. What was originally, seemingly set to be Marvel powering back into Phase 4 with a new group of superbeings now that The Avengers are on garden leave, actually turned out to be quite a risky endeavour. It's a Space-Odyssey-scaled combination of metaphysical rumination, mature interpersonal relationships, deliberately diverse casting and a hot property award-winning Chinese, female director with a very personal pitch. It's also got epic fights, giant monster greeblies and laser eyes.

And at least in terms of box office and critical praise it seems right now like this gamble hasn't worked. A lot of folks bounced right off Eternals. We ourselves were thrown by many elements, but ultimately warmed to it, and we suspect this one might grow in appreciation over time. Find out possible reasons why, right here.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Castlevania (Netflix) Nov 05, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

One of the best shows on Netflix and one of the finest animated series, very specifically tailored for an adult audience. Castlevania achieves, philosophically speaking, what so many other lesser shows set out to accomplish and find themselves still wanting.

It's surprisingly softly spoken, mostly concerned with establishing and developing characters. It's dark and sad and seductive and consistently funny. It's about power-plays and loneliness. And the soul of humanity is always on trial.

In this episode we go through the four seasons, covering the major characters in a roughly chronological order. We discuss some of the major story beats, so if you want to watch the show knowing nothing you might want to do that first. Seasons 1 & 2 are 12 episodes altogether and form their own full and dramatic story. Seasons 3 and 4 elaborate upon that, forming a longer second half which gets even richer and more explorative.

Guest:

Toby Jungius of Through the Wind Door @TJungius

Interview With the Vampire Oct 29, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

One of the most expensive, vampire films ever made. This first adaptation of Anne Rice's Chronicles ran on star power, lavish costume and set design and a potent strain of existential crisis. It's the tale of Louis, a mourning, bereaved widower who in his despairing malaise meets a sleazy, charismatic, sociopathic vampire named Lestat. For reasons we will go into, Louis decides eternal life would be a splendid idea at this point.

Neil Jordan directs the hell out of this intense Gothic melodrama, which was very important to Sharon as a teenager, and over time has become an excellent example of the kind of bloodsucker movie where we focus on the vampires themselves and they look both inward and outward at humanity. It clearly proved massively influential on Vampire: The Masquerade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Vampire Diaries, The Twilight Saga, Only Lovers Left Alive and even What We Do in the Shadows. It also spawned a wretched (not-actually-a) sequel in Queen of the Damned (2002), which we will be covering on Patreon.

Candymen Oct 22, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This show is about both the 1992 original, based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker and directed by Bernard Rose, AND the 2021 film directed by Nia DaCosta which shares the name but is in fact both a remake and an in-world sequel.

We decided to gate off all discussion of the new film for the second half of this show, so you can listen to the first half without fear of learning too much. However, both are now available for rental and we would sincerely suggest you watch the pair in release order (ignoring the straight-to-video grade sequels "Farewell to the Flesh" (1995) and "Day of the Dead" (1999).

What started out quite troublesome with a mixed message and a powerful yet clumsy execution has now been sharpened to a razor edge of social satire and brooding, urban horror, rightfully reclaimed. And to make this one even spicier, we attempted not to speak His name even once, lest we inadvertently summon Him.

...Listen if you dare, to hear if we made it all the way through the show.

01. Candyman (1992) 00h 02m

02. Candyman (2021) 01h 18m

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

What If? (Season 1) Oct 15, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

For the first time ever, a direct MCU production really threw me. We've had underachieving films in the past, like the listless Thor: The Dark World, the dramatically unexplorative Ant-Man and The Wasp and starting out with a really serious challenge for our flawed hero before dropping the PTSD ball in the third act with Iron Man 3.

Thanos was troublingly handled in Infinity War and a year of imbecilic agreement in the myopic viewpoints of a sympathetically-cast abuser only made that worse. WandaVision, Falcon and Loki all had their missed marks in otherwise solid packages.

But this one was wildly uneven. It had two episodes I actively despise, a couple I absolutely adore and a bunch of fluff in the middle. And so that we end on a high note we will be scaling the Marvel mountain in that order.

Guests:

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door @MightyGregDoge

Austin Wilden from our Discord @WC_WIT

No Time to Die Oct 08, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

We hadn't planned on doing this one so early, but by the time I walked out of the cinema I wanted to finish off the quintet with the same flourish and passion as this film does. It impressed the hell out of me, and then did the same for Sharon. And when we began recording neither of us knew what the other thought, which creates an unusual frisson.

No spoilers in these notes. But I honestly suggest you see the film before listening. One of our listeners has never seen ANY Bond movies, so to her I suggested Casino Royale or Skyfall as a stand-alone first experience, as all five in a row is a big ask especially with the wildly varying tones across the fifteen-year board.

I am also re-releasing the 2015 shows on Skyfall and Spectre on the main feed, so that all these soldiers are lined up in a row. I'm already being told on social media "I have to say I hated it" which makes me sad on several levels. To me, while the length and pacing are uneven, much like the overall series, this is a triumph.

Spectre Oct 07, 2021

[School of Movies 2015]

NOTE: This is a remastered episode, re-released for 2021. Unlike Skyfall, where I made a handful of tweaks, this one received a heavy edit. Almost an HOUR of the original show was devoted to speculation on what Sony/MGM/EON/Danjaq would do with the *next* Bond film. At the time Daniel Craig seemed to have had enough, and it was very much a possibility that Spectre would be his last outing. Ergo pretty much everything we said is now irrelevant. So I streamlined the conversation to be only about the film itself, and added a lot more of Thomas Newman's excellent score. If you really want the uncut show you can find it in the School of Movies Archive podcast feed.

This is a supremely divisive movie. On the one hand some folks hail it as a fantastic instalment of the long-running series, proof that 007 is still flying high. On the other, it has been decried as evidence of the exact opposite, seemingly underlining and exemplifying everything that was broken about Bond back in the past when we had little else in the way of action movies to choose from.

Guest:

Gary Blower of GamerBurst

Skyfall Oct 06, 2021

[School of Movies 2015]

NOTE: This is a remastered episode, re-released for 2021. It's a little tighter, less waffle, more music.

The Craig era, previously discussed back in 2011 gets the royal treatment and we talk Sam Mendez, Roger Deakins, Thomas Newman, Javier Bardem, Ben Wishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Her Majesty, Queen Dench.

Skyfall stands as a divisive, yet extremely high-quality instalment in the long-running series, with small-scale, personal stakes and a narrative that reflects the very concept of Bond singing for its supper.

Guests:

Gary Blower of GamerBurst

James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond

Alex Boucher of Bond and Beyond

Quantum of Solace Oct 01, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

As I say at the end of this episode, there's a reason why going back to cover these first two Daniel Craig Bonds has been so rich and gratifying for us. Back then they were building a character. Since then, to a degree with Skyfall and definitely with Spectre it has been a case of nudging that more textured character into a comforting template with certain accoutrements that the specific actor brought with him. And to a degree that has meant stripping away some of that texture.

Quantum of Solace has always been maligned. This episode focuses on both its all-too-often unappreciated strengths as well as the weaknesses that throw up a barrier between film and audience and actually prevent many of the stronger blows from landing.

We hope by the end you'll have a good enough set of reasons to go back and reassess.

Casino Royale Sep 24, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

To coincide with the long-awaited release of No Time to Die we decided to go back to the beginning of Daniel Craig's career as 007. A decade ago I covered the first 22 Bond movies with James Batchelor and Gary Blower, over three mammoth episodes, covering each era. That took us all the way up to Quantum of Solace.

But Sharon wasn't on those, episodes and we only had so much time to cover each movie. Plus I'd like to think we've gotten better over the years. So this one is all about the 2006 debut movie, which remains our favourite of the series for reasons we will definitely be elaborating upon. Next week, since we've already covered Skyfall and Spectre together, back in 2015 we will be talking about the much-maligned sequel, Quantum of Solace.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Sep 17, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

One of the first huge blockbuster movies made by a western studio with a largely eastern cast, this one really underlines my abiding contention that "Superhero" is not a genre, and neither, as it turns out is "Martial Arts". Would we say Boogie Nights was a "Sex Movie?". Genre is an increasingly blurry construct to help marketers and those who want to know what to watch.

Luckily for us all though this particular Martial Arts Superhero movie is fantastic. Once again, we urge everyone to be as safe as possible and not take risks. But even if you aren't able to see this in the cinema, you have something special to look forward to on your TV screen in the near future, and while we discuss what happens we can't really spoil the movie for you. It's too rich and nourishing for that.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Castlevania (The Video Games) Sep 10, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

An iconic series of games that has run since 1986 but never really resonated with mass audiences the way that Mario and Sonic did. These are the tales of vampire hunters and the creatures of the night that stand between them and (usually) Dracula.

They have gone through many phases, and we cover each of them here in this mammoth, epic and thoroughly comprehensive show. First there are the side-scrolling whip-and-jump titles from the NES onwards through the SNES and Mega Drive, followed by their reinvention as both 3D action games, and (more significantly for video gaming history) as metroidvanias (a term that had to be invented to best describe them).

We take you through the rocky territory of Lords of Shadow and the triumphant return as "Bloodstained" as publisher Konami ran the official license into the ground with pachinko machines. We even touch on the strange and elusive mobile games.

This show will tell you which of the 30+ titles are really worth sinking time into and why. And the whole thing is soaked in atmosphere and a dark, Gothic smorgasbord of classic music.

Guests:

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Batman: The Animated Series Sep 03, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

One of the greatest, most influential TV shows of all time. We watched the whole thing on blu ray, and not only does it hold up, it still surpasses most Batman media. Oftentimes lynchpins like this are hyped and oversaturated to the point where they can hardly live up to the cultural expectations, but this one really does.

The first season was a HUGE run of 65 episodes which spanned a year from September '92 to '93. The second season was a more conservative 20, which went from May '94 to September '95. By this point it was time for Superman to get his own show (encapsulating the classic character rather than subverting him) which we will hopefully be covering soon.

There were a series of movies released on TV and VHS (as well as a brief, invisible theatrical release for Mask of the Phantasm, which we covered all the way back in 2012. And then 24 episodes of The New Batman Adventures switched up the art style and went from September '97 to January '99. It's the finer points and highlights of these three seasons that we focus on in this mammoth show.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Kevin Veighey @GoldenTalesGeek whose Let's Plays on YouTube can be found here

Free Guy Aug 27, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Since this theatrically released movie, based on no particular existing IP barely made a couple of hundred million dollars in its first fortnight, statistically speaking that means the majority of you won't have seen it.

That's why we're giving you a deep dive episode, delving into the subtext that a lot of folks either took for granted or missed entirely. And far from spoiling the story we hope it actually makes it even better for you.

The short of it is, what if one of the civilians in Grand Theft Auto started thinking for itself. Cue a lot of familiar moments, and some surprising directions. The devil is of course in the details, and that's what we have for you.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Greg Downing @MightyGregDoge of Through the Wind Door

Alexa Vargas @Plutoburns whose YouTube channel is here

Chris Finik @finmonster09 who assembles New Century's TV Tropes Pages and who writes fanfic (including a Dark Tower / Tiger's Eye crossover)

The Suicide Squad Aug 20, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Militarized slaves are sent to an island to clean up a violent mess with plausible deniability. An instant hit with both audiences and critics on release, this 2021 film is the realization of the John Ostrander-era of the Suicide Squad/Task Force X concept that actually first appeared as far back as 1959 (prior to Marvel's Silver Age of The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and The Avengers.

And yet it faltered at the box office, due to several reasons. Being R-rated in the middle of a pandemic, the sour taste of the 2016 David Ayer film, the absence of Joker and let's not discount an abundance of dark superhero satire in TV and movies, which this feels like. By all rights, fans of The Boys and Invincible should have turned up in droves, and yet that association may have worked against the film in the end.

This episode is simply me telling Sharon about the experience of watching the film in the cinema for the first time, augmented by further thoughts as I mulled it over in the interim days. It was a mixed bag for me, with strong elements sat side by side with things I've seen done better elsewhere.

Aquaman Aug 13, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

By far and away Warner's highest grossing superhero film of the DCEU so far*, this one had the global market sewn up with a dazzling, epic ocean-hopping fantasy quest. Dismissed as 'dumb' by the critics, Aquaman is nonetheless one of my very favourite superhero films, and on today's show we go into detail as to the thriving ecosystem that exists just under the surface.

The pandemic, and constant studio shake-ups have definitely hurt the DC brand (sadly including The Suicide Squad which we're covering next week). But at least this one and Wonder Woman proved that DC could find success beyond endless Batman, Superman and Joker movies.

*Aquaman $1.1b / Batman V Superman $873m / Wonder Woman $822m / Suicide Squad $746m / Man of Steel $668m / Justice League $657m / Shazam! $366m / Birds of Prey $201m / Wonder Woman 1984 $166m / Zack Snyder's Justice League $70m

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst @JeromeMci

Shazam! Aug 06, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Our Summer season of DC spotlighting reaches Captain Marvel. This was a big change for the recent movies, eschewing the epic scale of gods among humans and focusing on a regular kid imbued with the power of the gods.

Part 1980s coming of age movie, part found-family drama, part weirdly disturbing villain origin. And unlike most other superhero movies this one has an unusual time limit on it as a series, which is why we recruited some very particular guests this time around.

https://franchisekillerpod.podbean.com/

Guests:

From the Franchise Killer Podcast: @FK_Podcast

David Schmitzer

Irena Schmitzer

Rhys Paine

Birds of Prey Jul 30, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

One of our very favourite DC universe movies, added to the towering collection of three dozen shows we've covered in the past (and yes I do list all of them).

Criminally underviewed and undervalued, and launched mere weeks before lockdown began in early 2020, this is a crazed cult crime caper for the ages. A collection of disparate, separate, embattled women all find that their aggressors lead to one place.

It's filthy and violent and only one person has a superpower which gets used once. This was Margot Robbie's treasured project that couldn't be more different from 2016's Suicide Squad.

[Next Week: Shazam!]

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst @JeromeMci

Loki (Season 1) Jul 23, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

A time-bending, space-bending, reality-bending miniseries about an unrepentant villain who did a colonialism on account of his upbringing in a society that was founded on precisely this principle.

And an introduction to yet another Marvel leading lady who has been kidnapped, gaslit and abused for most of her existence and definitely deserves better.

Loki has been a frustrating watch for many and a source of relentless joy for others. The slew of fan art that has dotted our Twitter feeds suggest people are getting a great deal of spicy satisfaction from the chemistry. But the slew of hot negative takes, also suggests it once again disappointed fans.

Our show on what we found out at the end was the first season is quite special for a number of reasons, so listen closely.

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Black Widow Jul 16, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Two years have passed since we were last in the cinema watching a Marvel movie. It feels like an astonishing amount of time, and a lot of you folks will have watched on Disney+

This one has been a long time coming, kicking off Phase 4, despite the core concept of Natasha Romanoff's solo outing being ideally placed in Phase 1, prior to Avengers (perhaps instead of Iron Man 2), or Phase 2 when Avengers proved she was big-screen dynamite (perhaps instead of Thor 2) or Phase 3 where after all the years of lollygagging DC beat Marvel to the leading lady post by almost two years (even though this could have been ideally placed instead of Ant-Man 2: Featuring The Wasp).

As it stands, Black Widow serves many masters, and is about more than simply Natasha herself. It's a fitting send-off and a welcome introduction all at once.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Pump up the Volume Jul 09, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

A movie nobody has seen, but we want to tell you about. A movie that was barely released in the cinema, on VHS, DVD and now Blu Ray. A movie unavailable to legitimately stream anywhere. A movie about a pirate radio station speaking truth to power and making silenced voices heard.

This one came out in 1990, it's directed by Allan Moyle who was behind Times Square (1980) and Empire Records (1995). The three films, spread across fifteen years all speak of disaffected kids, cast aside by a society they aren't able to comfortably slot themselves into, and their subsequent means of rebellious self-expression. They're all worth watching (with Empire being the lightest and easiest to underestimate).

You should absolutely listen if you haven't heard it, because we have effectively adapted the story for radio. And because this movie is so punk, once you've listened we did find a way you could then watch it Pump up the Volume at Archive.org

The Shadow Jul 02, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This might be the worst superhero ever. Not the movie, I'm sure there are a bunch out there more poorly constructed. Some of the sets and costumes and Jerry Goldsmith's score are great. I'm talking about The Shadow himself, especially now, and especially to me personally.

Welcome to a post--Burton-Batman world that might be the 1920s, 30s or 40s. A gangster-laden New York presided over by a millionaire who dresses up at night and prowls the streets with his guns and his mocking laugh. From the director of Highlander, and the star of The Cat in the Hat, Alec Baldwin embodies the worst qualities of Batman, the worst qualities of The Punisher and the ignorant racism of Golden Age comic books.

For this episode we brought back on the folks from the Franchise Killer podcast, since this one definitely didn't get a sequel, for reasons we'll go into. Side note, as always it's okay to like this movie. It's entertaining as hell. The guy is just a massive tool!

https://franchisekillerpod.podbean.com/

Guests:

From the Franchise Killer Podcast: @FK_Podcast

David Schmitzer

Irena Schmitzer

Rhys Paine

War for the Planet of the Apes Jun 25, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Back in 2014 we began a journey through the many movies of the Planet of the Apes franchise. We began with the original quintet made in the late 60s through the 70s. Three of those are pretty great, two of them are meandering and lose the thread of what the simian analogy was getting at in the first place.

After that we covered Tim Burton's mess of a blockbuster which ruined my 21st Birthday! And then we began on the 2011 reboot with Andy Serkis as Caesar, an extraordinary chimpanzee born in the modern era. We followed that with a show about the then-just-released sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Now, many years later we have returned to finish what is one of the low-key best sci-fi trilogies in cinema history. A journey from birth through childhood, maturity and fatherhood all the way to messianic saviour. But unlike their predecessors these three always remember that central tenet; The apes are us... and always have been.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Jun 24, 2021

[Digital Drift 2014]

Continuing the story of Caesar and his new tribe of intelligent, simian compatriots we rejoin earth ten years after the close of the last picture. It is a quiet, overgrown world of dilapidated buildings being reclaimed by nature, separated pockets of humanity scrabbling to survive and one group of apes living in peaceful seclusion in the redwoods close to San Francisco.

We accompany you on a journey through discovery and loss, betrayal and loyalty, and actions led by hope and fear. In doing so we take in some truly stunning performances in what constitutes a triumphant thematic remake of the worst of the previous films; Battle for the Planet of the Apes. This is how that one should have been done.

This show, and its predecessors were recorded in the summer of 2014. It would be seven long years until we reconvened to finish off the new Apes Trilogy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Jun 24, 2021

[Digital Drift 2014]

Ten years after the Burton version surfaced, spluttered and sank, this came out of seemingly nowhere, surprising everyone. Set up as an alternate prequel to the premise of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, Rise answered the question of “How could this actually happen?”. In marketing terms it serves as a reboot, beginning its own new series which then branched off from the original five movies into its own circular arc.

One thing I found while editing this show together was that I didn’t have many clips I could use. This is, as I came to realise, because this movie is a masterpiece of visual storytelling. Everything you need to know is conveyed far better in terms of what you’re looking at, both in terms of its ape and human stars.

Director Rupert Wyatt is at the top of his game here, James Franco and John Lithgow pull off rarely valued, powerful performances and of course Andy Serkis takes centre-stage embodying one of the finest collaborations between performer and digital artists the world has ever seen. Caesar, the chimpanzee, capable of a subtlety and gravity of presence that most actors dream of achieving.

Stand By Me Jun 18, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

NOTE: War for the Planet of the Apes will be released next week, along with the archived episodes on Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Four 12-year-old boys on a hot Labor Day weekend in 1959 walk from their small town of Castle Rock to find and report the body of a young man hit by a train. What follows is a touching drama about the betrayal of the adult world, and the importance of standing by those whom nobody else will stand by.

Back in 1982 Stephen King took a break from supernatural horror to write Different Seasons, a book of four short stories. The Body, which was adapted into this film in 1986 by Rob Reiner, Apt Pupil, adapted by Bryan Singer in 1998, The Breathing Method (which should probably stay un-adapted, but is apparently is an announced project with Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson) and Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption, which wound up as one of the greatest films of all time.

This is a double-bill collaboration between us and the Old Kids Movies podcast. We are on their 50th episode this week, talking about Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). It was great both guesting and having them on our show, and both episodes are excellent listening.

Guests:

AJ Beltis @AJBeltis

Trevor Howell @MetalTrowell

Of Old Kids Movies @oldkidsmovies

And their podcast can be found here

Murder on the Orient Express Jun 11, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The second cinematic adaptation of the 1934 mystery by Agatha Christie. When this first emerged in 2017 there was a bit of a sniffy outcry from the press. Why does it even exist? Why re-adapt a book that already had a 1974 film by Sidney Lumet and was a key episode of the David Suchet serials? Since the long-running British TV show and the 40+ year-old movie exist, that should be enough for any potential new audience member!

After watching this gobsmackingly sumptuous epic, shot on glorious 65mm film by the always-meticulous Kenneth Brannagh, with a soaring score by Patrick Doyle and a cast so delicious you'll have no room for pudding... we respectfully beg to differ with those critics.

The first 42 minutes of this episode are spoiler-free. After that we delve into the many characters and their motivations. We recommend you see the film first, but if you can't or don't want to, the rest of the show shouldn't really ruin your eventual enjoyment of it.

Full disclosure; This show was commissioned by Greg Downing and Toby Jungius, hosts of the Through the Wind Door podcast, which discusses the many stories in The New Century Multiverse. We wanted to chip in for their new microphones, but it felt like greasing the palms of our most prolific critics. So instead we just waived the fee on this one and let them buy their own mics.

Guest:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Special Announcement: Fireside Alliance Jun 10, 2021

A fresh collaboration that School of Movies is involved with.

This notification is also going out across The New Century Multiverse and Patreon.

Come on over and join us in the Discord chat.

https://www.firesidealliance.com/

The Cell Jun 04, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This one was recorded a long while ago. It's pretty extreme and not for the squeamish. A serial killer thriller from the year 2000 with the customary sub-genre-ingrained fixation on stomach-churning detail.

Where it strays more into our wheelhouse is that the plot revolves around a social worker who dives into people's minds and wanders around looking for clues. This drove Sharon bonkers as all ethical practices were cast aside, and the core of this episode is her trying to hold it together as the film gets dumber and more misleading.

It was directed by Tarsem Singh, who has an eye for striking visuals. He directed Immortals, Mirror, Mirror and a movie nobody saw but is extremely good (and actually has a heart, unlike this), called The Fall. We really hope he one day gets to bring his jaw-dropping art-gallery flair to something people can love, because THIS film in particular is not a worthy showcase for his talents, nor those of the frequently splendid Jennifer Lopez.

The Leftover Army Podcast on Tremors

Metal Gear Solid May 28, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

This show was recorded a long, long time ago, pre-pandemic, and has been in cryo-storage, waiting to be unleashed. It's all about the 1998 seminal classic, Metal Gear Solid by visionary, genius, dirty old gimmer and maddening eccentric Hideo Kojima. It was an absolute linchpin of my formative years in gaming, and to my mind has only been bettered in the rest of its series dramatically speaking with Snake Eater.

For this show I went to the absurd lengths it took to acquire the GameCube remake "The Twin Snakes", allowing me to not only appraise that maligned shift in engine and ramped up post-Matrix style, but also to make a serious statement on the importance of not only remakes but remasters, and in continuing them down the line of machines, as lack of backwards-compatibility leaves more and more titles in an unplayable state for the average gaming enthusiast.

We go into the innovative metatextual gameplay, the crazy characters and foreboding, yet satirical atmosphere as we piece together what made this one such a massive winner.

Guests:

Toby Jungius @TJungius of Through the Wind Door

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

About Time May 21, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Richard Curtis has only directed three films in his career. Usually he relegates himself to writing and producer roles, and you can always tell when you're watching one of his movies. Certain recurring character types and themes keep re-emerging.

The first directed was Love Actually, the second The Boat That Rocked, but this third and reputedly final effort is genuinely a cut above everything that came before. It's not without its issues, as we will go into on the show. Painfully British, painfully white, painfully upper-middle-class, and imbued with an adoring yet patronising view of woman.

But it has a huge heart. It's a time travel story that really gets how the philosophy underpinning its story can absolutely apply to our own lives, devoid of quantum physics. It also has one of cinemas all-time best Dads in it, in the shape of Bill Nighy. So we recruited the same time travel expert who helped me with my own book on that tricky subject, to help us discuss what about this film works so well.

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis May 14, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

This show was recorded back in 2020 not too long after the remake of the 1999 game was released, so there will be speculation regarding which direction Capcom will take the series, rather than a focus on Resident Evil VIII (which at the time of release was launched just days ago).

This was to Resident Evil 3 (the sequel to one of my favourite games of the 1990s) in a way that its remake is to the remake of Resident Evil 2 (one of my favourites of the 2010s). And it was a pivotal moment for both the original and the remake, when Capcom took the series in a direction that began like the cautious survival horrors of the previous decade but then evolved into crazy action. And our discussion is about how that seems like an inevitable path once again, and why this cycle might not be that bad.

This show is being released after well over a year of pandemic, though recorded at the beginning. It remains the biggest in my lifetime, and people are scared. So there's still a certain strange appeal about the notion of confronting our fears and seeing them symbolically rendered into disgusting undead beasties we can shoot, stab and evade. That makes this game either wildly inappropriate for our times or the most appropriate.

Guests:

James Perkins @Mijmeister

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier May 07, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

Marvel's second TV show directly tying in with the MCU. What are we calling this now? As I write these words cinema is in a chrysalis, having gone to hide in there the moment James Bond looked like he might get another mission. And yet Falcon as a TV show is legitimately "Cinematic" in its presentation. I mean the dictionary definition of the word.

But then, so is a lot of TV now. And WandaVision was the most Televisual a show could get, by design. And there's something frustrating for everyone who invested in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Defenders shows, or those three who liked the way Inhumans was done. All this TV that purported to be part of this universe but was in fact filmed in a sealed pocket, unable to have any ramifications upon the wider saga.

Whatever name gets conjured (still waiting on what that Lion King remake can be defined as) Falcon is an incredibly gripping six episode miniseries that retains the feel of the latter Captaon America films. But there's new ingredients now, and highs and lows exhibit themselves as it becomes apparent that some elements of this story of carrying the shield in a troubled world play better than others.

Guests:

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Artists Inc. @AlasdairStuart

Greg Downing of Through the Wind Door @MightyGregDoge

Austin Wilden from our Discord @WC_WIT

Raya and the Last Dragon Apr 30, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

Disney tries its hand at a South-Asian fantasy, and what do you know, we really like it.

Daniel Floyd returns as we talk about the first of the animated classics series which was not launched exclusively to theatres, but also Disney+ for a preview for of $30 / £20

Quite apart from everything else that makes this a difficult sell for people living on their own, or in households where only one person likes Disney. However, so much of this being created at home by various Disney artists while on lockdown breaks all kinds of new precedents and makes this one rather special.

Stonespring Maidens can be had in paperback form

The New Century Multiverse Podcast

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus @DanFloydPlus

Ralph Breaks The Internet + Frozen II Apr 23, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The Disney series continues with two sequels.

In the first of these Ralph and Venelope travel to a version of the internet as reimagined by Disney. The little race driver then finds a newfound calling in the apocalyptic street combat of Slaughter Race, which sends Ralph into a spiral of separation anxiety.

And in the second, six years in the making, the follow-up to maybe their most beloved film of the modern era, the treasured characters are taken on a new adventure up North to discover things about themselves.

Next week we're back on track with their excellent latest instalment, Raya and the Last Dragon. Dan sat this episode out but will be back for Raya.

Stonespring Maidens can be had in paperback form, and the first episode of the audiodrama will air May 6th.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Godzilla vs. Kong Apr 16, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The fourth, and potentially final outing in the Warner Bros. Monsterverse series. Following Godzilla II: King of the Monsters (2019) which is magnificent and to many the pinnacle of this quartet, Kong: Skull Island (2017) which is most definitely worth seeing to acquaint yourself with *this* version of the giant gorilla, and finally Godzilla (2014) which was the most popular at the box office yet seems to be the least enthusiastically recalled.

In this show I come up with yet another food metaphor for each of these four, and we discuss what might have been left on the cutting room floor in the attempts to streamline this thing into a lean, fun, colourful, fast-paced series of spectacular wrestling matches.

Guests:

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 of Leftover Army Monsters

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

The Others Apr 09, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

An elegant, haunting Spanish-style ghost story of obsession and loss. This Gothic chiller materialised in 2001, from director Alejandro Amenabar (who also composed the score, which flits from comforting flute and harp to clangourous and menacing cacophony).

This was a commissioned show from Nicole-Kidman-appreciator Colin L. Dysart, and he picked one of our favourite performances of hers. This was the one that made us think she would be an ideal Marisa Coulter in His Dark Materials. She plays the whole thing with a brittle, fierce tenacity, clinging to what she believes is true, as her world unravels in this shadowy Jersey stately home.

It's also got some terrific child-actor performances, as the two endangered kids start to cotton onto the possibility that there may be more going on with the intruders to their home. It is a ghost story where light is so much more threatening than darkness.

Zack Snyder's Justice League Apr 02, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

After the moderate box office takings and middling-to-negative critical responses to Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Warner Bros. became increasingly worried that they had placed the DC Expanded Universe in the hands of a director who appealed to an increasingly niche crowd who would not make them the billions of dollars they wanted.

Seeking to just get the third film finished quickly and cheaply in a way that would appeal to the middle, so that they could course-correct for later financial investments WB relieved Snyder of directorial duties (which coincided with family tragedy) and hired Joss Whedon to magic the footage they had into an Avengers-level success. The result delighted few (we covered it at the end of 2017).

Then after years of online demands, and a pandemic which made traditional filmmaking extremely difficult, Warner invested a sizable additional chunk of change into the prospect of Snyder restoring his version. The resultant four-hour opus was utilised to upsell an online subscription service. The niche audience were delighted.

Return to OZ Mar 26, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The Commissions Season continues with a show sponsored by Maya Santandrea. Much like last year's Labyrinth show, this is also a story about a girl who travels inward on her fantasy adventures and winds up uncovering certain key things about herself.

It is based on two of the L. Frank Baum OZ novels, from which The Wonderful Wizard of OZ was also adapted in 1939. There have been other adaptations before and since, including Wicked and OZ: The Great and Powerful.

This one, however, released by Disney in 1985 to critical derision and scared, offput audiences who seemed to want a bouncy musical rather than a dark fairytale, eventually became an obscure cult classic. Those who love it do so with a passion, and we are here to talk about why that may be. It should be available to view on Disney+.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

WandaVision Mar 19, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

This one gets HEAVY. But what did you expect from a podcast which has examined every one of the MCU movies and found the hurt and pain at the core of the characters, being presented with a show that is absolutely about that principle?

Now all the rampant speculation has passed, we can sweep aside our assumptions regarding what this *might* have been about and focus on the melancholy story of its lonely antagonist.

One of the core themes explored is that everyone's line for forgiveness falls in a different place. We hope that two hours of delving into how it handles grief, bringing along some deeply personal accounts of loss, might lend some perspective on the MTVU's first big show.

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Taylor Nova of GameBurst @TaylorNova6

Mike Hearn @MikePHearn

Hades Mar 12, 2021

[School of Everything Else 2021]

An absolutely phenomenal game which took 2020 by storm. We talk about, among other things, why being trapped inside for month after month just made a game where you're trying to escape the Underworld weirdly more resonant.

There's an astonishing amount of story in there, astonishing art design and aesthetic, some of the most engrossing, multi-layered and sexy characters to ever grace a video game and action that's smoother than the downy fur on Cerberus' belly.

This was also a special session because we recorded with everyone on-camera and since Sharon has played ten times the amount I have, she hosts.

This was a commissioned episode from Nicholas Jaragosky, Jesse Ferguson, Chris Finik, Toby Jungius, Mackenzie Eastram, Maya Santandrea and Laureta Sela.

And our guests are Victoria Luna B. Grieve, Laureta Sela, Maya Santandrea, Matt Wardle, Greg Downing and Toby Jungius.

Next week... WandaVision

Kung Fu Hustle Mar 05, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This is a commissioned show by Alex Vargas and Joe G. Stephen Chow's cartoonishly absurd, occasionally brutal, breathtakingly elegant and frequently side-splitting opera of kung fu.

Back in the 1940s Shanghai The Axe Gang rule the streets, massacring those who stand in their way (with axes). One day a pair of inept conmen come calling at Pigsty Alley and try to grift slim pickings from the locals, only to find, (along with the Axe Gang) that they are guarded by martial arts masters.

What follows is a war between plucky heroes and rotten villains, and some of the most stunning and hilarious fights you will ever see.

Guest:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Grease Feb 26, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The Commissions Season continues with this classic, sponsored by Matthew A Seibert. It's a film made in 1978, set in 1958 meant for adults who were teens in that time period, now being watched more than 40 years later in 2021 by the children of those adults who grew up watching it and are now themselves adults. So this is going to be a kaleidoscope of shifting perspectives.

The premise is simple, a sweet-natured Australian girl meets a sweet guy at the beach in Chicago. Then when she later turns up in his high school he acts like a different person in front of his male buddies. The girl throws her lot in with an indimidating gaggle of punky ladies, and the two groups sniff around one another, preparing for the horrors of real life after they graduate.

It's a world where adults barely feature and teenagers clash, excitably, make fun of one another, and are sexually interested. This was made at a time when that sort of alchemy was new and thrilling, rather than a dead cert. Amid the peer pressure and societal expectations heaped upon these panicking hormonal kids (all played convincingly by adults) there's also a bunch of incredibly memorable and abiding songs.

Guests:

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

-Ali- Feb 19, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This is our 700th Podcast. I began in April of 2007, and through four generations of my show, myself and then Sharon have covered a hell of a lot of media. Fittingly, this episode is one of the very greatest.

On the twentieth anniversary of the 2001 Michael-Mann-directed biopic of maybe the greatest sportsman who ever lived, we finally go up against Ali in the ring. It's not just a fantastic film, this account of the real life events that took place between his fight with Sonny Liston in 1964 spanning all the way to the Rumble in the Jungle with Foreman in Zaire, '74 changed the way I saw the world.

It did so, decades ago, drawing my attention sharply to the African-American experience, and the injustices it exposes in the heart of America. This informed upon the way I think, the way I speak, and it has definitely informed on how I write. It's also the performance of Will Smith's life (in case you needed any more excuses to track it down). Sharon and I move through the events, people and decisions that effected this flawed, infuriating, dazzling, inspiring man, and how he reacted to them, in a manner that transcended the limitations heaped upon him.

The two accompanying films we also suggest as further viewing afterwards are 'The Greatest' (1977) and 'When We Were Kings' (1996).

The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert Feb 12, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This is a commissioned show by Kevin Veighy, who specifically wanted to make a kind gesture towards his friends and all of our listeners in the LGBTQ community. And what began as a desire to extend a sympathetic hand turned into something rather special, and a landmark episode.

I haven't been entirely sure about this movie for several years. I know I loved it when I saw it in the 90s (make sure you listen to the end for my story on that), but I also know that there are troublesome elements that are less cool by the standards of the 2020s.

Fortunately, we had the extremely enthusiastic Victoria Grieve, who always makes our show better, and provided a hell of a lot of perspective on the trans narrative.

I am not the least bit sorry for all of my attempts at the Australian accent! I regret nothing!

Stonespring Maidens is now available to buy from Amazon in paperback.

Guest:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Bill & Ted Face the Music Feb 05, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

The trilogy of Time, Space and The Afterlife culminates in the best one yet. And while we've had loads of folks express delight with the first two episodes as they grew in complexity, this one is really special.

There's a sizzling energy to our discussions as things get very meta and concerned with generational responsibility, and the music that flows throughout is some of my favourite editing in a long career of talking about movies, games, books and TV.

I would say you must see this film to avoid us spoiling it, but it can't be spoiled. I would then say you must see this movie, because you should.

Tweet us @SchoolofMovies

Guests:

Rachel Schenk @IAMRachelQuirky from Screen Snark and

Scott Thomas @OGScottieT from And the Winner Is

BOTH also from The Infinity Podcast

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Jan 29, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

We got some real love for our Excellent Adventure show. It seems like you folks were responding to the pure joy threaded throughout, so let's see what we can do for the black sheep of the B&T Trilogy. This sequel turned up just two years after the first, having been hastily greenlit when executives got dollar signs in their eyes and saw franchise potential.

The writers began with a re-tread of the original, where the duo went through great works of literature and dragged out the characters for yet another school report. Then when they got to Moses and company from religious texts, it was decided this should get more metaphysical. So it became "Bill & Ted Go to Hell" and the rest of the film was written around how that could have happened. Who killed them? Why a pair of evil, robot doubles from the future!

It did not delight audiences. But as we delve deeper than even Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson could have predicted we would like to present to you, some of the reasons why this movie is actually not Bogus at all.

Tweet us @SchoolofMovies with what you think about Station.

Guests:

Rachel Schenk @IAMRachelQuirky

from Screen Snark and

Scott Thomas @OGScottieT

from And the Winner Is

BOTH also from The Infinity Podcast

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Jan 22, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

We begin a trilogy of shows taking us through time, space and the afterlife that begins here with this abidingly enjoyable romp through history, pilfering various key figures to make the deadline on a school report.

We talk about how the time travel seems utterly nonsensical at first, but actually remains consistent and makes an internally logical sense within the adventure itself. And also how Bill & Ted, with their affable approach to life often touch on a profound wisdom by accident.

We also hear from a couple of air-guitarists who have travelled right the way through delusion to emerge the other side as rock gods, before going back in.

Our guest for all three shows is Jesse Ferguson of the Recorded Tomorrow podcast, which is all about time travel. You might want to go back to Episode 6 and start with paradoxes, because I'm on that one. Jesse's co-host, Jonathan also joins us for this first outing.

Guests:

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM and

Jonathan H. Liu @jonathanhliu

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Wonder Woman 1984 Jan 15, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

This follow-up to a fantastic debut in 2017 was long-awaited, much-anticipated and spent several years in production. At the end of a blockbuster-drought of a year, we were all looking forward to sinking back into the comfortable environs of an inspiring superhero story. Perhaps with some tactfully handled real-world symbolism in there, and a call to arms for women in particular.

Unfortunately, this thing is a HUGE mess. It makes so many baffling decisions that it was actually tricky to keep up with. By the time we'd finished reacting to one moment, another had flown by. So we're giving this one the all-clear for you to listen to, whether you've seen the movie or not. Because we CANNOT spoil it any more than Warner Bros. have done.

The show ran long, so there is a 45-minute Cutting Class episode coming to Patreon with everything that didn't make the final cut. Because editing is important!

Stonespring Maidens is now available to buy from Amazon in paperback.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Super 8 Jan 08, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

We round off the year of Spielberg by going back to his roots as a filmmaker. And while this is a 2011 movie, directed by J.J. Abrams which Steve produced, I mean far more than it simply evoking Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.

There's more cinematic alchemy at play here than even we realised, when we took on this project, and we are very happy to share our findings with you all. Suffice to say this is Abrams' most personal movie, and it feels odd that it was largely dismissed and overlooked at release, despite its qualities, while the similarly flavoured (and also fantastic) Stranger Things became a global phenomenon five years later. And I go into the fundamental differences in creator backgrounds there.

This movie is fairly simple, and moves in broad strokes, but there are many subtleties and elements that it's easy to miss. We hope we can encourage you to open your eyes for a second look.

Super Mario Bros. Jan 01, 2021

[School of Movies 2021]

I've never known such a bad movie to be so loved, either secretly and shamefully, or boldly and unapologetically. If you're in either camp, lean into the second one. Firstly because why should you have guilty pleasures? Especially now. Unless you're eating mushrooms, growing to twice your size and jumping on the heads of those who call it garbage, you're not hurting anyone. Own that love.

And secondly, knowing that some people who grew up with the disastrous first big budget attempt at adapting a major video game to the big screen and still care about it would bring some joy to the hearts of those who had to make the thing.

For this episode, where we focus on what went wrong behind the scenes, we brought in the Franchise Killer podcast, who take that same angle on their show, examining the movies that went wrong from a more explorative angle. It was fantastic having these folks on and I urge you lot to check out their show.

https://franchisekillerpod.podbean.com/

Guests:

From the Franchise Killer Podcast: @FK_Podcast

David Schmitzer

Irena Schmitzer

Rhys Paine

Cannon's Ninja Trilogy Dec 25, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This show covers three movies: Enter the Ninja (1980) Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Ninja III: The Domination (1984). They are hard to get hold of and almost entirely unconnected with each other, and they are violent, shoddy and absolutely hilarious.

The connection is Cannon films and wildly talented actor and martial artist Sho Kosugi, who is the villain in the first, the hero in the second and support in the third. And of course none of these characters are the same man.

What we have here is an absolute treat; An enormous buffet, containing many surprisingly effective moments hidden among the weird and dangerous decisions made while filming all of them. No expense was spent, and no actor got through with their dignity fully intact.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Ready Player One Dec 04, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Way back at the end of 2019 (Remember when we could get right up in each other's faces?) we recorded this show with Victoria Grieve, expecting it to be a riotous session of taking the book and film to task. Things got more complicated than that, as it turns out Victoria really liked certain elements of Spielberg's adaptation (as did many viewers). And then one of the worst migraines I've ever had hit me about twenty minutes into recording.

We decided around that time to do a full-on Spielberg season and didn't realise how it would become the focal point of our 2020, so the raw footage of this one waited to find a final form that would be entertaining and informative and not just footage of me groaning from where I lay under the desk. The edit took several passes, new material and some clips from when We Hate Movies spanked the pants off this one. I'm really proud of the final show as it stands.

And if you LOVE the Ready Player One movie and want to hear more of the positive angle, this week's Patreon bonus Cutting Class episode will be a treat.

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

The Adventures of Tintin & The BFG Nov 27, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Two Spielberg films that failed to capture the hearts and minds of the cinemagoing public.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) was his only animated foray, and the only one so far shot on digital rather than film. Made around the time Disney closed down Image Movers Digital because attempting wholly performance-captured films plunges the viewer into the uncanny valley. This one has more in common with Indiana Jones than even the obvious comparisons.

And The BFG, one of the most beloved books from one of the most beloved children's authors. A film that feels several decades too late for contemporary tastes, remains remarkably faithful to the source material and adds to and improves upon it in almost every way that could be marketed to families (it's about giants eating children). Yet it was dismissed by everyone.

We provide you here with some really solid reasons to track down both of these for a couple of Sunday afternoons worth of fantasy adventure.

Brotherhood of the Wolf Nov 20, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

An obscure 2001 French period drama slash monster hunt, martial-arts mystery blockbuster, that only some of you will have seen. This is a show we've been looking forward to bringing you for many, many years. Also known as Le Pacte Des Loups in its homeland.

You can listen to half of this episode without having seen the movie. We keep the secrets to a spoiler section at the end, but we do thoroughly recommend tracking down and watching this strange, sexy, frequently crazy blend of flavours. One thing it definitely isn't is mediocre.

Joining us is a man who seems to effortlessly elevate everything he's a part of, and our discussion was rich and tasty. Alasdair is closely connected with Escape Artists Inc. a place to find a smorgasbord of stirring audio fiction https://escapeartists.net/

Guests

Alasdair Stuart @AlasdairStuart

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nov 13, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

I recall when Crystal Skull came out it was around the time angry dudes on the internet were starting to really pick apart the prequels and why they had been betrayed on the promises made to them by George Lucas (to my shame that's how my movie podcast got started, but at least we'd moved on by week four). So the reception to this massively successful film was conversely very ugly in the fan community. And while we don't usually strive for a balanced argument this one felt like it needed a real examination as to both its faults and qualities.

So we reunited all of the guests from the previous three Indy shows, some of whom love it, some of whom loathe it, and the results make for one of the more fascinating discussions in the Spielberg series. Is this film really all that bad? And if you take a few infamous elements of contention out, what are you left with?

Guests

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond @James_Batchelor

Kevin Veighey @GoldenTalesGeek

Catch Me if You Can Nov 06, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

It's safe to say that right now we all need something relaxing and engaging. Luckily Spielberg is right here for us with this 1960s period piece about a charming teenage confidence trickster, and the straight-laced government agent trying to bring him in.

One of the greatest pleasures of this year-long exploration of Steve's work has been rediscovering just how fantastic this particular movie is, especially in HD. It's stylish and exciting, touching and bittersweet. And since it's based on a true story it's also fascinating to watch how far this kid will push his theatrics.

Two of the best, most understated performances from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, at a very specific turning-point for cinema, accompanied by the coolest of jazzy John Williams scores. Next week we round off our Indiana Jones saga with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

10 Possible Futures Oct 30, 2020

[School of Everything Else 2020]

This is a special episode deliberately timed to around the American Election and not far off the official Brexit from Europe. It's a time of great anxiety, so we wanted to give ourselves and our listeners a dose of perspective.

So I've collated ten different types of future seen in movies, and I've ranked them from the very worst to the very best. That way we can talk them all through in order, starting with horrendous scenarios that make what we're experiencing right now maybe not quite so utterly apocalyptic in our minds. And we finish on visions of unity, cooperation and progress that might give us something to hope for.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Deep Impact vs. Armageddon Oct 23, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Duelling Comets!

In 1998, because of the way the movie industry works (or used to) we got not one but TWO films within months of each other, about the Earth facing an extinction-level event from the heavens. Both films largely concern themselves with the American response, both involve sending up a shuttle to blow the meteor apart, both feature lower-scale destruction as a fireworks show selling-point, and both are filled with bad performances from a cast that includes great actors.

What we did here on their 22nd anniversary is tackle one and then the other, comparing and contrasting their differing approaches. By the time the credits roll you'll just be happy that it's not the end of the world.

Minority Report & War of the Worlds Oct 16, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

To date Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have worked together twice in their careers. And since they were two dark future-shock movies that were released close together in the early 2000s we figured we'd cover them both as a double-bill.

It's fairly extraordinary what a different world we are seeing here, than just a few years beforehand in the 90s. And in particular the age of terror paranoia of War of the Worlds now feels like a distant memory, what with everything happening at this moment. Like looking back on the cold war during the age of terror.

So these are both pretty grim, and we decided to pep them up with some fun moments for you, including a look back over Cruises' family-averse portfolio, and rather more talk of penguins than I think *anyone* expected.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence Oct 09, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

What existed for years as an ongoing project for Stanley Kubrick became one of the only treehouses he let his friend Steven in on. Eventually Stan decided his approach alone could not ideally shape A.I. for the screen, and that this story needed Spielberg to direct. Stan offered to play producer.

And then he died.

So Steven picked up the pre-production art, concepts and development, including the Robin Williams footage directed and recorded by Kubrick himself, abandoned what script existed and wrote one himself for only the second time. He then made a dark fairy-tale about humankind and our robotic children whom we both neglect and abuse. It ends up a requiem for a self-destructive civilization that could not overcome their fear and anger. And at the heart of it is a little robot boy who has been irresponsibly programmed to love one human mother forever.

Of all of Spielberg's films to give a second chance at absorbing the depths and the shadows and the heartbreak, *this one* may top them all.

Guests

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

The Lost World: Jurassic Park Oct 03, 2020

[Digital Drift 2015]

The second 2015 re-release from our dino season. You can go back to the separate School of Movies Archive podcast feed that a lot of people don't know about, but it has more than 200 of our pre-2017 shows. On there you'll find our episodes on Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World and at some point in the future we'll tackle Fallen Kingdom.

This one is a weird and tonally dissonant path, relative to the original masterpiece. We uncover the movie of the book that Michael Crichton was pressured into writing after the success of the first movie, the content of which was largely scrapped for what Sharon magnificently dubs in this episode “Benny Hill with dinosaurs.”

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Schindler's List (Hook & Jurassic Park Revisited) Oct 02, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

A long time ago, around late 2013, Sharon and I recorded a shortish piece on Hook. It was just before Robin Williams passed, and so the file sat in our archive, unreleased, along with the one on Mrs Doubtfire. We just didn't want to be scornful of something he had done during that period of shock and mourning. Eventually in 2015 we combined that section with a new one on the 2003 Peter Pan to make a comparative show, and it did not compare favourably. I put that down to us really liking the Jason Isaacs version and nobody else seemingly giving a stuff.

Anyway, we went back to Hook for our year of Spielberg, now with the blu ray in hand and a deeper appreciation of Steven's aims. And you know what? We really liked it this time. And this was again before I read up on the weird, staggered production woes this thing had. I can recommend a video called "Yesterworld: The Troubled History of Steven Spielberg's Hook: A Classic That Should Have Been."

We also went back to Jurassic Park to see if it holds up five years on from our Main Event show on it. Turns out not only is it still one of my favourite films of all time, but I found a way to watch it that makes it even better!

And all this is two spoons of sugar to help you prepare for what we have to say about Schindler's List. A film that in 2020 disturbed us to our very core, and left me so shaken that I noticed something in my voice during the edit that I've never heard before. We kept it short so that the heaviness would not overwhelm us or you. And we understand if you would like to skip this one. Hook and Jurassic Park run up to 43 minutes in.

Jurassic Park Oct 01, 2020

[Digital Drift 2015]

Way back when Jurassic World was released (and we were all excited for what might have been the first really good Jurassic sequel) Digital Drift as this show was known at the time, put out one of our best episodes ever, on the 1993 original. So this is both a re-release and an essential, restored component of the Spielberg season.

Still as fresh and endlessly entertaining to us as it was decades ago, this film is rarely out of our re-watching rotation, and as such I know it frame by frame and word by word. We take you through every scene and get to the bottom of why this is such an appealing, evergreen and effective movie.

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Sep 25, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The man in the hat is back, and this time he's brought his father. What could have been a much goofier, hapless escapade, diffusing the focus of Raiders, turned out to be the most personal journey for Henry Jones, (Junior and Senior).

There's a real thrill to be had from the idea of picking up a search that has spanned thousands of years and racing the Nazis to this immensely symbolic artefact, which itself contains a tricksy definition of what Eternal Life entails. This film is a masterful example of Spielberg being able to keep exhilarating momentum while maintaining a close hand on personal, familial relationships.

Guests

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond @James_Batchelor

Empire of the Sun Sep 18, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The Steven Spielberg season continues with this 1987, semi-autobiographical account from author J.G. Ballard of his time as a boy caught up in the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in World War II.

Since we get this conflict from a child's eye view there's a strange energy to proceedings, as our pampered urchin Jamie cannot fully comprehend what's going on as he bounces from one adopted set of guardians to another. All he knows is that he's lost his real parents, he loves fighter pilots and he is going to have to struggle to survive.

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Mary and Max Sep 11, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This one is so obscure that it didn't quite make $2m at the box office, so we are going to assume the vast majority of you haven't seen it and will shape our show around that. It's also heavy and alarming at times, despite its cosy art style as a stop-motion Australian animation with a quirky, twisted sense of humour.

It tells the tale of a young girl named Mary who fights the depressing doldrums of 70s suburbia by becoming random pen-pals with a nervous man in New York named Max. After an initial panic attack, Max (played with chameleonic natural intensity by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets into the swing of elaborating to this curious child many of his habits and reflexive responses, which are later diagnosed as Aspergers.

And what the film becomes is a sharing of mental and societal hangups, helping us as an audience understand what living with these heightened sensitivities might be like. And our sponsor for this one asked us to bring in the two shrinks to help us along the way.

This episode was commissioned by Chris Kelly

Guests:

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Amy Donaldson of @TwoShrinksPod

Labyrinth Sep 04, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

One of our favourite movies of all time. And so dense and richly layered in the kind of fantasy mirroring reality themes that we thrive on. In fact it is so beloved and so twisty and turny, as well as being bittersweetly painful due to the passing of David Bowie that we've been putting it off for years! Fortunately commissions season often makes us finally push the button on that kind of project and that was the case here.

Sarah is a spoiled 14-year old who is asked to look after her baby step-brother Toby. Instead she petulantly wishes him snatched away by goblins, an act she immediately regrets. The stage is then set for her to traverse the labyrinth which represents the deceptively ever-changing landscape of her maturing psyche, as she journeys to get Toby back. And all the while she is observed and hounded by Jareth the goblin king, who of course is more than what he first appears. You can't take anything for granted here.

This episode was commissioned by Maya Santandrea

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Mackenzie Eastram @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two also of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Knives Out Aug 28, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

A strange house, a family hiding all kinds of secrets, and an old and rich patriarch found dead. But things are never what they seem here, and if nothing else can be known for certain, this guy was a hugely successful writer of mysteries.

This is a modern masterpiece: A murder mystery that confounds so many of the established moves of the genre, that it hides another story entirely within its framework. A combination of tight writing, lavish sets and an absolutely stellar cast propel this one into the stratosphere.

This episode was commissioned by Edward Burke

Guests:

Victoria Grieve @VixenVVitch

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Flight of the Navigator Aug 21, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

A boy gets snatched out of 1978 Florida by an alien intelligence and dumped back there eight years later, having only lost a few hours. A quirk of lightspeed travel that screws up his entire existence and has wrecked his family. That's right it's a fun little sci-fi from Disney!

Navigator was one of those also-rans. Not renowned for its cinema release but dearly beloved by the kids who discovered it on video and TV. It has a Twilight Zone concept that it takes seriously, it doesn't patronise its young audience and there's a third act dominated by a wacky A.I. played by Pee Wee Herman.

It's also one of my favourites from this era, and I urge all of you to track down the region-free Second Sight blu ray, as the transfer is astonishing.

This episode was commissioned by Greg Downing & Nick Ord

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Stardust Aug 07, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This little-seen gem from 2007 was adapted from an adult fairy tale written as prose over four years by Neil Gaiman, with gorgeous illustrations by Charles Vess. It has a warmth and charm about it that is instantly appealing.

Stardust tells the tale of Tristan Thorn, a lad born from two worlds who works in a shop in a little Victorian English village which borders a portal to the realm of Faerie. Tristan has the hots for a shallow girl named Victoria, and pledges to bring her back a fallen shooting star to win her affections. Turns out the star that fell in Faerie takes the form of a young woman, who is understandably pissed off at being used as a love token.

There's fencing, fighting, witches, sacrifice, regicide, ghosts, sky pirates, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!

This episode was commissioned by Ruky Saavedra

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Big Fish Jul 31, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This one is going to be a tough listen for some. We stand by our assertion that it remains the best Tim Burton film, and one that feels both like and unlike his body of work. Our main focus is on the relationship between disgruntled adult son Will and his dying father Edward, who has spent this young man's whole life telling him fantastical tales that can't possibly be true. So if you've lost someone it may be hard to hold things together.

This was a very personal film for our sponsor and it broke us several times. And unexpectedly so, because this was marketed and regarded by most as a fun, visually stunning and quirky romance, focusing on the young, handsome, charming Ewan McGregor version of Edward, and his delicate bride-to-be played by Alison Lohman. But it's the biting point between cold reality and beguiling fantasy that we're interested in.

This episode was commissioned by Kat Essman.

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

Gremlins 2: The New Batch Jul 24, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This time around, rather than those nasty little monsters attacking small-town Norman Rockwell America they have their sights set on the big city. The original was clearly a horror movie made with kids in mind. This one is a comedy with a ghoulish sensibility. A corporate lifestyle filled with technology that is supposed to make things easier but only serves as a hindrance? That is fertile ground for gremlin-based chaos!

It is also the one where Gizmo steps up and becomes a real character with intentions and regrets, and for that reason we consider G2 downright essential viewing, whether you've seen G1 or not. It's also a better initial foray for youngsters because they swap the malevolence for hilarity. The kids can always go back and watch New Batch: Origins after that.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

Gremlins Jul 17, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Small town Americana is laid siege to, by a hoard of violent little monsters. It's tough to say whether this is appropriately frightening or frighteningly appropriate, seeing as it's all about ignoring the very clear rules given by those who are aware of what damage can be done by an outbreak like this. "I don't care what the experts say. I'll feed my mogwai after midnight and throw as much water on him as I like!"

This was an early movie for Joe Dante, produced by Spielberg, written by Chris Columbus, creature effects by Chris Walas. And it's dark and nasty and gruesome and hailed as an anti-holiday classic.

This episode was commissioned by Andy Rodriguez.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

A Few Good Men Jul 10, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

A tough and hard episode for a tough and hard year. We don't usually cover courtroom dramas, but this was both a commissioned episode and one of Sharon's favourites as a teen.

A young Aaron Sorkin penned this play about what happens when a certain unauthorised military disciplinary practice goes horribly wrong. It was based on a real life account, and was used to juxtapose the untouchability of the top brass with the scapegoating of young marines who pledged their life to their unit.

We do talk about parallels with the police, and this episode, while swift is fairly merciless. There's also a few uses of the other F-bomb in the movie clips. It's also the third Rob Reiner film we've covered without planning to in the space of just a few months. At this rate we'll have his body of work done by year-end (which should happen in around 280 years time).

This episode was commissioned by Martin Hooie

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Jul 03, 2020

[School of Everything Else 2020]

A completely spoilerific discussion on all five seasons of the modern, second version of She-Ra. I honestly don't know how much someone who has never seen the show will get out of this one, but if you've finished it you'll be in hog heaven.

We have eight minds and voices gathered, and they are all going to talk about 25+ characters over a tightly focused two and a half hour runtime. It may sound too strictly controlled, but I marvelled at how incisive everyone managed to be under these restrictions. This is quite a feat of podcasting.

This episode was commissioned by Zac Malm, Carsten Immel and James Glass .

Guests:

Maya Santandrea

Lyra Shaw

Lauren Yeomans

Mel Curtis

Holly Dotson

Collin of The Cinema Cephalopod

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Jun 26, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The year of Spielberg continues (though I have a feeling 2020 isn't going to be remembered for this, no matter how good we make the shows) with the second Indiana Jones movie, which is in fact a prequel. There's... reasons for that.

Ditching the writer of The Empire Strikes Back, producer George Lucas brought in the duo who would pen Howard the Duck, and decided to really lean on the colonial atmosphere of movies that were racist as hell fifty years before this film emerged into cinemas.

I think the best way I put it is you can easily *watch* Raiders of the Lost Ark followed by Temple of Doom, and have a good time with both, but it's quite another thing to start an explorative and enthusiastic film analysis with the first and then graduate to the second. It feels like a booby trap and the floor falls away. And you tumble into a pit of spikes, lava and dodgy representation for Asian people, women, frankly even white dudes!

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

This is Spinal Tap Jun 19, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Hot on the heels of The Princess Bride our unexpected Rob Reiner mini-season continues with one of the loudest mockumentaries of all time. Fictional band Spinal Tap gear up for their big American comeback tour carrying them from New York to Japan. Along the way they experience inconsistent catering presentation, an album cover with zero visual information and a bust-up between their two passionate creative forces that may spell the end of their musical career.

And all of it is captured on film in improvised, painfully human fashion. Join us as we void our musical guts with the band that has had more drummers than albums.

This episode was commissioned by Kevin Veighy, Dan Mayer and Nick Ord.

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You
Gimme Some Money
Hell Hole
Sex farm
Nigel Tufnel Solo
America
Rock and Roll Creation
Stonehenge
Break Like the Wind
Jazz Odyssey
Big Bottom
Cups and Cakes
Listen to the Flower People
Heavy-Duty Rock & Roll
The Majesty of Rock

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Nick Ord of the Midnight Movies blog https://midnightmoviesonline.wordpress.com/

The Good Dinosaur Jun 12, 2020

[School of Movies 2020] How does one discuss the worst Pixar film? When a studio accomplishes so much and changes the industry, should we not simply forgive them their mishaps and move on? We decided, not necessarily. Because delving into where things went wrong can in fact better illuminate when they get their pieces of art so very right. So what we have here is an exploration of a downright bungled production with one of the most erratic tones of any animated film we've seen, veering between cutie-patootie and gut-churning nightmare, seemingly scene to scene. It's what would happen if you asked Werner Herzog to reboot The Care Bears. A series of genuinely baffling choices and a disbelief suspended on gossamer-thin threads, this one makes Cars look like a documentary of entirely grounded concepts. We were worried this would come off as too negative, when we recorded it a long while ago, but listening back I'm proud of how incisive and merciless our approach was. And it makes the shows where we shower the best movies with adulation all the more genuine.

Mystery Men Jun 05, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

As we languish in the ellipses between Phases 3 and 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Batman goes on hold, Superman hangs in the balance, Wonder Woman waits for her delayed sequel release, and the X-Men are quietly reshaped by Disney's Fungineers, and the only big bit of news for this breakdown in the age of superheroes is the Snyder Cut finally getting a chance to be put together.

So tonight, we here at School of Movies remember the other guys (not the movie with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell) the losers (not the movie with Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans) the outsiders (not the movie with Matt Dillon and the Karate Kid), the wannabe vigilantes who just end up making things worse (not Watchmen).

Adapted from the Flaming Carrot comics, but not actually featuring the Flaming Carrot, this movie is almost entirely inept, shambolic, misjudged and ridiculous. Wholly appropriate, considering who it's about; a cadre of buffoons who want to help people in a city of the delusional, where the appointed good guys are actually kind of self-aggrandizing idiots too. Mystery Men has all the makings of a cult favourite, beloved by its fans (including us), and here you'll find out why.

This episode was commissioned by Jamas Enright.

Guests

Em from Verbal Diorama @VerbalDiorama

Victoria Grieve @VixenVVitch

The Princess Bride May 29, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

It is inconceivable that we've not covered this movie yet, but there is a shortage of perfect movies, and it would be a shame to waste one. We've danced around doing this abbreviated adaptation of a kissing book for years, and eventually a commission gave us no further excuses, we had to say 'as you wish'.

Both well-known and beloved with the fervour afforded cult classics, this clever spin on fairy tales leaves most of the other attempts in the dust, through a combination of an amazing cast, a razor-sharp script delivered with impeccable, deadpan timing, and at the core a big, beating, romantic heart.

This episode was commissioned by Chris Finik.

Guests

Victoria Grieve @VixenVVitch

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Bertram @bertnerdtram of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Shrek May 22, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

On the 19th anniversary of the release of this game-changing animated movie, we look back on the alchemy at work which made this such an abiding hit.

Effectively one giant, green middle-finger to Disney, this caper resonated strongly with audiences who wanted to defy that wholesome, controlling and overbearing megacorporation with its twee fairy tales of slender, pretty people with dreams and songs and irritating animal sidekicks. Shrek was more like regular people, selfish, bitter and obnoxious, with irritating animal sidekicks.

As well as the movie, we get to highlight some of the best aspects of the Shrek musical, which in a strange way carries things full-circle. This show was rather special, for reasons you'll find out at the end.

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation May 15, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

In comparison to the enjoyable, solid-enough campy, juvenile, playful original 1995 movie, THIS is a spectacular departure in the direction of chaotic, nonsense. this is what the Mortal Kombat movie would have been if quality was unimportant to the creators.

It's as dumb and cheesy as a sack of Trump chew-toys, and at the same time weirdly specific and accurate on costume and character appearance. It has almost everyone from the Mortal Kombat 3 game, even going to far as to name-check the few who they couldn't squeeze in. But every single version of everyone is utterly wasted.

But it's still deliriously entertaining, and our show on it is a ton of fun.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

Mortal Kombat May 08, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Lunatic sorcerer holds a fighting contest to determine whether or not another dimension is allowed to invade ours. They have to win ten in a row. Also there may or may not be fatalities.

This 1995 movie was one of the first video game adaptations for the big screen and somehow manages to remain one of the best. Mainly because it's colossal fun and doesn't seem to be so embarrassed about its subject matter. It doesn't toss out the story and world for something more superficially realistic.

This episode was a ton of fun to record, and frankly that's something most of us need right now. Next week we cover the sequel. And before you start tweeting at me, yes I know Cary Tagawa resumed his beloved role of Shang Tsung in the 11th Video game. of 2019.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Mike Hearn @MikePHearn

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool

Westworld May 01, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This Commission was for the 1973 movie, but this allowed us to contrast the events and philosophies of Michael Crichton's seminal techno-thriller with those of the 2016 HBO show. And we take you on a brisk tour through a land that poses more questions than it answers.

It was decided upon that the fortysomething men and women of an alternate 1983 would like nothing better than to visit the wild west, medieval Europe and ancient Rome to fight, kill and shag anyone they so chose. For that they would need to be provided with lifelike robots to defile... So much to unpack here. So much psychoanalysis needed.

In terms of spoilers we examine the whole movie and allude to things that happen during Season 1 of the TV show, but no more than that.

This episode was commissioned by Eric Jones.

Red Dwarf V Apr 24, 2020

[School of Everything Else 2020]

The long-running British sci-fi comedy series gets its first podcast with us. We picked the season that's easiest to get into and most immediately funny. If a lot of people like this one and especially if newcomers get into Red Dwarf (currently available on Netflix UK and Britbox) then we will record more shows.

A ragtag crew of losers on their way back to Earth cross paths with all manner of androids, genetic mutants and time travel phenomena. Aboard we have Dave Lister, maybe the last human slob alive, Arnold Rimmer, the holographic projection of his pedantic boss, a fussy mechanoid named Kryten and a preening evolved feline known only as The Cat. They are semi-guided by the super-genius A.I. Holly who may have gone a bit strange over three million years.

It is delightful how this show has held up over the decades, and if you're unfamiliar you're in for a treat.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

Kat Essman @Kat325

Poltergeist Apr 17, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The same year that Steven Spielberg was directing E.T. fifty miles down the road he was also producing this magnificent Californian domestic ghost story. Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Lifeforce here helmed what ended up as by far my favourite of his films.

And there's many reasons why this one was so effective in 1982 and remains so today. Set aside the ghoulish fixation on whether or not this was a cursed set and journey with us into the intoxicating, otherworldly family drama that is Poltergeist, accompanied by the spine-tingling music of Jerry Goldsmith.

Guests

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Apr 10, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The Spielberg Season continues with this seminal classic about a gardener, abandoned and far from home, forced to throw his lot in with a group of strange aliens.

This is a means of Steve re-exploring the broken family of Close Encounters with a softer, child's perspective. And It's an intimate, playful, heart-aching tale that still absolutely stands up today.

It is absolutely worthy of a re-watch, especially now, when families are both locked in together and also separated and broken.

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

Terminator: Dark Fate Apr 03, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

After 28 years of waiting and bad Terminator films they finally, FINALLY made a really good one... and nobody turned up. Unfortunately, if you comb YouTube the algorithm that prizes outrage over joy shunts to the top all of the angry boys who hated this box office failure.

But right here you will find a deep dive into why this is a brilliant legacy sequel to the first two. We will of course see more Terminator media again, most likely with yet another reboot, but for us and several of our guests, this is the conclusion to a Trilogy.

You don't have to see the film first, before listening. Far from spoiling it by talking about what happens I believe if we've done our jobs right we will actively enhance your viewing. This is a heavy episode, but there are heavy things going on in the world right now, and although we will be comforting you next week with the sweetness of E.T. we wanted to deliver a show that would tackle the storm.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Resident Evil 2 Mar 20, 2020

[School of Everything Else 2020]

This show was recorded back in 2019 not too long after the remake of the 1998 game was released (in fact it was before the free DLC emerged) so there will be speculation regarding when Capcom would naturally proceed to a remake of Nemesis (which at the time of release is due out in a matter of days).

This was one of my favourite games of the 1990s, and the remake is one of my favourites of the 2010s, as well as being one of the most impressive and accomplished reworkings of a game that by modern standards is fairly simple and even clunky.

This show is being released at the time of a pandemic, the biggest in my lifetime, and people are scared. So there's a certain strange appeal about the notion of confronting our fears and seeing them symbolically rendered into disgusting undead beasties we can shoot, stab and evade. That makes this game either wildly inappropriate for our times or the most appropriate.

Guests:

James Perkins @Mijmeister

Derrick Ritchie @thenewdelboy

The Phantom of the Opera Mar 13, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

I was six years old in 1986 when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh released this hit musical adaptation of the 1909 Gaston Leroux Gothic novel. Far too young to appreciate it, and yet, thanks to a double cassette tape they brought back and many long periods in my bedroom building things with Lego it became a production that was very special to me.

And then in 2004 when I was 24 the Joel Schumacher film adaptation of that stage musical emerged and was mostly derided. Critics panned it, Phantom fans considered it unworthy and it seemed like only Sharon and I thought everyone involved did a great job with a tough to balance production.

This podcast episode is an absolute epic. We focus on the film and contrast it with the stage version, highlighting the original cast and the 25th Anniversary show which is available on blu ray. It’s not going to be for everyone, some people don’t like musicals, and some musical lovers don’t like Phantom, BUT if we’ve done our job right then some of you will be able to watch this thing with fresh eyes and listen with keen ears, with more focus on the details we draw out.

Guest:

Michaela Gray: @bookiesnacksize

The Bruce Lee Season Mar 06, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

This began life as a commissioned show for a PC game called The Stanley Parable, which we had never played, and on our run-through proved to be infuriating to us on many levels; mechanically, aesthetically and philosophically. We were sent back to play the Beginner's Guide, which was even worse, throwing Sharon into frustrated tears.

So we requested from our sponsor that he pick something else. His choice was the Bruce Lee film "Fist of Fury". But having seen that I knew we wouldn't be able to mine from it alone, a show of the kind of thorough, entertaining and informative depth we usually go for.

So because we had failed to connect with the indie PC game (and let this stand as a warning to all those of you who believe your indie PC game of choice will somehow surpass all the others and enrapture us, it most likely won't) we went all out and covered Bruce Lee's film career. This is the first of what's likely to be at least two shows on Bruce Lee, as we first cover his films and later on in some other context, the man himself, behind the camera. But in this one we examine in a modern context the following movies, some are okay, one is pretty great, one is absolutely wretched.

1. The Big Boss (1971)

2. Fist of Fury (1972)

3. Way of the Dragon (1972)

4. Game of Death (1972-1978)

5. Enter the Dragon (1973)

And many thanks to the commissioner: Paschal Dooley

Raiders of the Lost Ark Feb 28, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Our year of Spielberg continues. Prior to Jaws in '75 he directed Duel and The Sugarland Express, and after it came Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941. We talk about all of these on our Quick Review Patreon bonus feed, but we are saving the Main Event shows for the ones we have a LOT to say about.

In 1981, a year after The Empire Strikes Back, Steve collaborated with his buddy George Lucas to give Harrison Ford his second iconic silver screen role; embodying the most famous adventurer of all time. Now the Indy movies may not be overflowing with deep, philosophical quandaries, but at least two of them are cinematic entertainment in its purest form, and we worked extra hard to find the details and flourishes that make this first outing such a classic.

Guest

Kevin Veighey @GoldenTalesGeek

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Feb 21, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The immediate question will be "Hang on, where's the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" show? Why are we starting on Film Two? I'll go into detail on why in my intro, and we will hopefully do a show on Fantastic Beasts 1 in the future, but right now THIS is on the table.

The Magical World is at its lowest possible ebb. It's hard to say whether The Cursed Child or this movie were more unpopular, there's different gauges of success between the theatrical and cinematic mediums. But suffice to say we are now a long way from the deeply satisfying, bittersweet, not to mention highly lucrative end of the Harry Potter saga, both in book an movie form.

We brought in Lorin Grieve to pick over this confusing mess of a story, to try to figure out what went wrong, and maybe suggest some positive directions they could move in further down the line.

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Chrono Trigger Feb 14, 2020

[School of Everything Else 2020]

A game I have a 25-year history with, just starting and stopping over and over like Groundhog Day (as I will detail in the opening of the show) and have now finally concluded my staggered, protracted journey with.

In the UK during the 90s things were not as richly abundant in terms of readily available JRPGs (again, I'll detail this), so Chrono Trigger was yearned for, but never released in 1995 over here. In fact the first official physical copies on sale on British store shelves were the DS version, 14 years later in 2009.

But it's one of the most beloved of its type, and on this show (which I had to recruit a couple of experts for, to fill in all those details and secrets) hopefully should go some way to determining why it became such an abiding favourite.

And before you ask me to delve into a dozen more fifty-hour JRPGs, take into account that this commission was a VERY special case!

Guests

Kevin Veighey

Alexander Peregrine

And many thanks to the commissioners: Kevin Veighey, Alexander Peregrine, Nicholas Kosky, Matthew A Seibert and Brian Legg.

Gen:Lock (Season 1) Feb 07, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

It's going to feel like we're teasing you with our cast-in-stone No Anime rule. However, there are various factors at work here. 1. This has an American writing team, so it's closer to Avatar and The Dragon prince. 2. It had a great first episode which we watched to decide whether we could talk about the rest. 3. It has an amazing cast. 4. At 8 quick episodes it's about the length of a long movie, rather than RWBY from the same team, which currently weighs in at 92 episodes and what we watched did not appeal. And 5. it was a commission, and we occasionally bend the rule with those.

All that said, you are in for a treat here, as the spiritual successor to both Pacific Rim and in a way RoboCop delivers dazzling visual treats with a progressive, inclusive and fun cast of colourful characters. It is absolutely worth checking out. You can either listen to our show first or afterwards. We do detail plot movements but I hope our discussion enriches rather than spoils the process of witnessing them for yourself, because you get some bonus perspective.

Well done, Rooster Teeth.

And many thanks to the commissioner: David Schuttenhelm

The Lost Boys Jan 24, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

I am continuously baffled with the dearth of teenage vampire films. It sounds like a trope, but can you really name that many where the focus was on teenagers becoming vampires as a metaphor for being a teenage outcast, and disconnected with both the world of adults and that of the childhood just left behind?

Twilight, a bit. Near Dark, kinda? On TV we had The Vampire Diaries. Seriously there's a goldmine here if somebody can get the alchemy right in a way that hits whatever the current teen generation is.

Anyway The Lost Boys (1987) wasn't originally intended to be that at all. It was supposed to be about vampire kids, Director Joel Schumacher simply engineered the ages upwards so it could be sexier, and mission accomplished. Our commission season continues with the bloodsucking Brady Bunch.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

And many thanks to the commissioners: Andy Rodriguez, Maya Santandrea and Bradford Yurkiw.

Willow Jan 17, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Our Winter commissions season begins with this cult classic fantasy from 1988. Largely dismissed at the box office, Willow found a home market of kids who grew up wearing out their VHS copies, and will still talk of it today with misty-eyed affection. This was one of those movies that kept me going between the hibernation of Star Wars and the emergence of Lord of the Rings.

While this is easily passed off as a Hobbit lite or an attempt to siphon Star Wars’ space fantasy into conventional fantasy, what we talk about here are some arresting hidden depths, and how charmingly it manages to pull off its magic trick. Enough to capture the hearts of some fans for life. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure, we recommend the Blu Ray for a Sunday afternoon of feeling like you’re nine again.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

And many thanks to the commissioner, Joel Robinson

Jaws Jan 10, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

Throughout this year we will be covering the films of Steven Spielberg in Main Event shows as well as Quick Reviews. And we figured we would start with a bang with a transformative work from 1975 that may not have been the first summer blockbuster, but definitely started the trend of the event movie that everyone goes to see and talks about, one that that grew with Star Wars into what big budget cinema is today.

However, this creature feature is really, REALLY strong in so many other ways beyond spectacle, and it was an absolute nightmare to film. We brought in a special guest for his first time on our show, and the enthusiasm just bounced off the walls within our recording session. He will definitely be back.

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

The Rise of Skywalker Jan 03, 2020

[School of Movies 2020]

The Star Wars Saga draws to a close for the third and (not) final time. We got to see how J.J. Abrams was at finishing rather than beginning, and my guests and I were presented with the task of somehow making a show that would be satisfying to a lot of different people going through wildly different responses.

What we came up with may surprise you. And it culminates in a new way of seeing the Star Wars series in general, which might just be the key to us moving forward.

Guests

Jason "Chewie" Slate of The Mana Pool @TheManaPool

Voice Actor Alex Eding @AlexEding

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

The Sound of Gonzo: Vol 13 [The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy] Dec 27, 2019

[School of Everything Else 2019]

In a bid to search for the best in everything I recruited James Batchelor to journey back to the three films with which I started my movie podcast career in earnest. Back in 2010 that took the form of a raw torrent of frustration and derision, but I'm trying to save that for the deserving.

Instead, this time round, my enthusiastic colleague and I have found the best pieces of scoring within those three films, to showcase for all of you. Join us for a journey from trade disputes to genocide, as we traverse the story of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side retold through the scores of the legendary John Williams.

1. Star Wars theme/The Federation Battleship

2. Fighting the Destroyer Droids

3. Arrival on Tatooine/The flag parade/Anakin is Free

4. Anakin’s Theme

5. The Duel/The Droid Battle

6. The Parade (Augie’s Great Municipal Band)

7. The Younglings/Meeting With Fett

8. Across the Stars

9. Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale

10. Battle Over Coruscant (Intro)

11. Padme’s Ruminations

12. The Great Jedi Purge

13. Anakin’s Dark Deeds/I’m So Sorry

14. Anakin vs. Obi Wan

15. The Immolation Scene

16. I Know There’s Good in Him

17. A New Hope/End Credits

The Dark Crystal Dec 20, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

In this episode we cover both the 1982 Jim Henson movie and the 2019 Netflix series; Age of Resistance. You can listen to our podcast first, it will make both better.

One of the most striking, extraordinary and dignified attempts at the fantasy cinema of the 1980s, the original movie was massively important to few, but Sharon was among them.

There was absolutely no rational reason why Netflix would attempt a show based on a property that didn't exactly set the box office alight 37 years earlier, much less that they would opt for the practical puppetry which made that film extraordinary over the standard CG creatures of 21st Century entertainment.

And there was absolutely no way that this could end up one of the most beautiful, extraordinary TV shows ever made. That it would feel more sharply relevant now in an era when the obscenely wealthy cartoon villains who are our excuses for rulers feast upon the figurative essence of those they deem lesser beings.

And yet, here we are.

Guests

Lorin Grieve @VixenVVitch

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Bertram @bertnerdtram of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Moana Dec 13, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This was the film that convinced me though theatrically-released hand-drawn animation is gone that the future is in good hands all the same.

John Musker and Ron Clements made their Disney directorial debut all the way back in 1986's Great Mouse Detective. They then followed that up with a double-whammy of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, forming the foundation of the 90s renaissance (and sandwiching Beauty & the Beast).

They went on to helm the delightful disappointments; Hercules, Treasure Planet and The Princess & the Frog, which failed to hit those box office figures but proved to be firm favourites with die hard Disney fans. And here they bid farewell to directing, twenty years after they began with their first 3D animation gig, that also could be argued as one of the most beautiful ever created within that medium. That this was both their first and last is as surprising as it is bittersweet.

But enough about two lovable old white men, this is a film where the house of mouse stepped in the right direction, consulting with Pacific Islanders to create something more culturally aware (though still anchored to the brand).

Small steps.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus @DanFloydPlus

Zootopia Dec 10, 2019

[School of Movies 2016]

This was a show we recorded way back in 2016, that simply couldn't wait the three more years it would take to bring us up to date. Dan was not available this time round so we brought in some anthropomorphic animal specialists in his absence.

This was a movie that kind of came out of nowhere and delighted pretty much everyone by having a lot more going on below the surface than your average animated animal adventure. At the very least it's a major new find for the furry community as our guests Lorin Grieve from A Year of Steam and Matt Wardle and Laureta Sela of New Century can attest. As well as this there is a multi-layered and infinitely applicable series of social commentaries on everyday prejudices. This downright demanded discussion so we pulled out all the stops to deliver you a packed two hour show. Folks on the patreon at the $5 per month support level can, this week, get their paws on an additional 90 minutes of rambling tangents which also took place during recording and while fascinating in places, strayed far from the movie itself. If you love these shows there are far worse things you could do with five bucks every thirty days which DON'T get you access to exclusive content. Guests: Doctor Lorin Grieve from Year of Steam Laureta Sela of New Century Matt Wardle of New Century

Big Hero 6 Dec 06, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

It appears to be decreed that Disney must sandwich every princess film in their animated classics canon with one that is either accessible to the whole family (like Zootopia) or one that at least suggests it will appeal to male-coded interests. In this case Wreck-It Ralph with all those video games (that girls love too) and Big Hero 6 with all its superheroes (that girls love too).

In this case Disney's first attempt at adapting a Marvel comic book with no connection to the MCU this one takes a virtually unheard of Joe Kelly book from the 90s which had not quite a dozen issues to its name and turned it into something like The Iron Giant, something like what would eventually be Bumblebee and something like Into the Spider-Verse. Two films that would improve upon elements of this formula.

And whilst we don't love it as much as any of the above there is something kind of wonderful about Baymax, and there are things we can learn from this film about living with grief and crazy science that are of genuine benefit to us, moving forward.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus @DanFloydPlus

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Frozen Nov 28, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The Disney series continues, and in fact this run of four episodes (including the re-release of the 2016 show on Zootopia) marks our project finally coming up to date, since we began this way back around the time Frozen was being released. We will of course return in years to come with another stretch of episodes on Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II, Raya and the Last Dragon and whatever comes next. But for now this gets us to a place we want to be.

I think people forget, because of all the airplay that one song got, because of all the merchandising and ubiquity of these characters within Disney's self-identifying brand just how GOOD this movie actually is. When you watch it again the script is really strong, it's progressive in a way that challenges their somewhat dated fairy tale elements in a positive way. And not just that one song but ALL of the musical numbers are fantastic (except one and we'll go into that). It's beautiful and thought-provoking and soulful and sometimes a little more sharp than we might expect.

If Disney was going to make a billion dollars and decide that the way forward was to replicate that success, I'm glad it was this one.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Spencer Leeb of The New Century Multiverse

Doctor Sleep Nov 22, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The saga of The Shining continues with a new generation being hounded by the very eldest.

This is one of those movies that nobody really expected. The original decades-old novel and film are at war with one another, and this drastically belated sequel is the battle-ground. Yet what transpires harmonises both in a supremely confident fashion.

And hardly anybody saw it. So it's our job now to explore the shadowy, steamy depths of Doctor Sleep, establish what Stephen King was saying with his books and how director Mike Flanagan (fast becoming an understated mainstay in the horror milieu) reinterprets the best of multiple mediums... in every possible sense of the word.

This is one of our very favourite films of 2019. You can listen if you haven't seen it, most people haven't. The plot developments and character movements we discuss won't spoil the film, they will improve it.

The Shining Nov 15, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The Kubrick season concludes with arguably his most celebrated film (the only other contender being Space Odyssey).

This is the one we set out to talk about, but we had to try our level best to understand the men behind it as we did so. Making this a continuation of our Stephen King adaptations series where we compare the book and film (including IT, Pet Sematary and at some point in the future Stand by Me, Misery, The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption).

So we watched and talked about everything Kubrick made since 1968, and we read through King's books of The Shining and Doctor Sleep. This really was a grand project and took a lot out of us, but crucially we tried to have fun along the way so it would feel worth it.

The end result is a pair of immensely detailed shows, including Doctor Sleep next week, wherein we discuss how these two creators' different outlooks permeate the cinematic story of Daniel Torrance over 39 years.

Full Metal Jacket / Eyes Wide Shut Nov 08, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The Kubrick season continues with his creations from the 80s and 90s.

First, a harsh, black vision of the experiences of United States Marines in the Vietnam War. Beginning with their training at the hands and barking yell of the apparently lone Gunnery Sargent Hartman. Then a confused meander through various areas of the war-torn country, searching for meaning that does not reveal itself.

After that Tom Cruise finds out that Nicole Kidman once thought briefly about having an affair and journeys out into the New York Night for a sexual odyssey that was deliberately designed to be seedy, uncomfortable and weirdly puritanical.

2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange Nov 01, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Stanley Kubrick Season: Part 1 of 3

Last year we covered the work of Guillermo del Toro, this year we were only going to do The Shining after being asked to do Kubrick many times. But the raft of research and hard work that went into simply covering the context for that movie led to us talking about not one but six of his films. What unfolded as we recorded these sessions out of order was a veritable Stanley Kubrick Season.

So this first part we will cover 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and -briefly- Barry Lyndon (1975). Next week we have Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Finally, the third week will be all about The Shining (1980), and we will be closely comparing it with Stephen King's book.

We are going to be critical of Kubrick. This is a risky prospect for us as we are talking about a revered artist in our chosen field of study. But only one of these films that we talk about in depth do we actually genuinely dislike. The rest are very much a mixed bag of elements that appeal and those that do not. We trust you all to take this as a very personal response to a striking filmography.

Sleepy Hollow Oct 25, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

After the pantsing of Tim Burton with this year's Miss Peregrine main event and Dumbo Quick Review we decided for Halloween to go back to one of our favourites of his.

This one is not very popular, a lot of people consider it a mess, and they're correct, but it's a mess that we enjoy greatly, and one that delighted Lorin who was a first timer here.

It's a dark, twisted, witchy, campy, gory mystery and everyone on board seems to be having a great time. Come join us.

Guest:

Lorin Grieve: @VixenVVitch

Zombieland Oct 18, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Just in time for the sequel we examine this perky black comedy about life after the end of the world. At present there isn't too much in the way of deeper readings of the escapades of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock, so we took that as something of a challenge.

Recruiting two shrinks last heard on our Inside Out episode we examined each of their behavioural patterns and asked ourselves what state of mind the daily pursuit of survival might have left them in.

Guests:

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Amy Donaldson of @TwoShrinksPod

Joker Oct 11, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This turned out to be one of the most gruelling ordeals for us in terms of lead-up, viewing, preparation, recording and editing. This is an intensely divisive film with smart, decent people who dislike it and smart decent people who love it. And the last thing we want is to divide and clash.

We DO however have to account for how this film made us feel, which is not great at all. Of course we didn't go in hoping to hate it, but what started out as "Okay this isn't bad" descended into "God, get me out of here!"

Next Week: Zombieland

Friday the 13th Oct 04, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This is every Friday the 13th movie made so far, excluding Freddy vs. Jason (which we covered in our Nightmare on Elm Street series).

So that's Friday the 13th (1980) then Part 2, III (in 3D), IV: The Final Chapter, V: A New Beginning, VI: Jason Lives, VII: The New Blood, VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X and Friday the 13th (2009).

29 years of teenagers being slaughtered in the woods for drinking, smoking weed and having sex. This one could have been exhausting, but there's enough variety (just) to differentiate the series. One of them has overtones of Hitchcock, two of them are whodunnit mysteries, a couple get vaguely psychological, one tries to be very Terminator, one has a Carrie, one is a Jason fan film set on a bloody space station, and one tries to mash four of them together to tell the grim story of a sadistic survivalist nut.

However, one of them gets the chemistry just right and is a hilarious splatterfest. You'll have to listen to find out which one. And we recruited a friendly horror fan to guide us through Camp Crystal Lake.

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

Rambo Sep 27, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

We cover the five movies each in turn.

0.00 First Blood (1982)

0.25 Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

0.49 Rambo III (1988)

0.59 Rambo (2008)

1.12 Last Blood (2019)

It's quite a wild and bumpy ride, going from a sobering critique of the military industrial machine and what it does to our soldiers, to a critique on political chicanery and lack of transparency in warfare to just an all-out blockbuster western with tanks to a gruesome revenge-porn exploitation action and finally to a grim take on American/Mexican border-relations.

There are good and bad elements to be found within, as a shell-shocked soldier morphs into an unbeatable saviour and then into basically Jason Vorhees minus the hockey mask.

IT: Chapter Two Sep 20, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The follow-up to our extensive discussion on both the source novel and the 1990 miniseries, and then our lengthy discussion on the amazing 2017 movie.

Few horror sequels are as eagerly anticipated as this one, and bettering or even matching the kids' story was always going to be an insane challenge. King didn't really manage it with his book, the TV version delivered a lukewarm, erratically paced exercise in uncertainty of purpose and true to form this one disappointed a lot of returning viewers.

However, our little Losers Club found a rich vein of complexity to mine, and plenty to infer in this tale of graduating adult fears and anxieties. We begin with twenty minutes of unbridled praise, just to establish a base of quality, and then follow it up with two hours of discussion on the mixed bag on offer, the good, the bad and the Pennywise.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Arrival Sep 13, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This one is going to be a challenging listen.

Arrival is a story about humanity utilising alien contact as a way of looking inward. It's an examination of our fears, our sacrifices, of language and of time. It's astonishingly powerful and perhaps the greatest performance of Amy Adams' career, requiring her to experience emotions that -as Mikey Neumann pointed out- we don't even have names for yet.

Get yourself a quiet 80 minutes to listen, and some time afterwards to reflect upon it. And for the love of God see the film before you take in our show.

This episode was commissioned by Andy Rodriguez.

What We Do in the Shadows Sep 06, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

After a heavy couple of weeks, it's a welcome break to call in at a ridiculous, black comedy. This is a mockumentary investigating a house of vampires. They're a hapless collection of preening nincompoops, fragile egos and buckets of outdated neurosis (in other words very normal people).

This film, directed by mad Kiwi Taika Waititi (Thor Ragnarok) takes many trappings of how vampires have been classically depicted in horror, and even the later subversions and flips them further by adding a layer of ludicrous, embarrassing mundanity to how they unlive.

Next Week: Arrival

300 Aug 30, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

A new direction for School of Movies. We've listened to our harshest critics and paid attention to what they seem to want from us and the overwhelming weakest aspect of our show is apparently our tendency to come at movies from a personal perspective, which in turn leads to heavy politicising of films where politics aren't present and don't need to be discussed.

The result is we go off on tangents when we should be talking about the pure mechanics of a film. So the first movie we chose to exercise our new discipline of zero-political rhetoric is Zack Snyder's accurate historical document of ancient Sparta, and how these perfect male specimens fended off the might of the Persian Empire, 300.

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Aug 23, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This was an unexpected one. We geared up for a Quick Review mere minutes after coming back from the cinema and then stuff just came flooding out. We send that recording to a few people to see if it was Main Event material and they pretty much demanded we get this out for everyone. So we added new sections and recorded a companion piece round-table session with two new guests (being released this week as a Cutting Class episode).

Quentin Tarantino's ninth film has made critics very happy (garnering massive positive buzz and 85% freshness) but also provoked a slew of think-pieces about some of the more crass decisions made in filming.

What you've got here is what Sharon and I felt very strongly in the aftermath, before we'd read anything else.

Sing Street Aug 16, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The second commissioned show of our summer quickly grew from a film we liked a lot to one of our absolute favourites. This little-seen gem about teenage rebellion in Dublin, Ireland, 1985 is something we would love more people to know about.

Directed by John Carney, the man behind Once and Begin Again, this is semi-autobiographical and features a measure of authenticity and respect for young people that the very best films about growing up thrive on. It's also got some of the most accurate portrayal of the clothes and music at the time, giving both context for a deeper meaning that 80s punk pop usually doesn't get afforded.

Guests

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Bertram @bertnerdtram of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

Fate of the Furious + Hobbs & Shaw Aug 09, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

It feels like a lifetime since 2015.

Back then, during the tail end of the Obama administration we were enjoying the run-up to new Star Wars movies and Mad Max was about to blow everyone away with one of the greatest automobile stunt-fests of all time.

But also Sharon and I were getting back into the Fast & Furious films very late after drifting away for a while. We were able to appreciate films 5, 6 and then the real life tragedy of 7 with a sharp immediacy.

Since that fairly amazing experience the series has diverged in some strange new directions and we pick up with 2017's eighth film and the first official spin-off in 2019. Once again Neil Taylor is our wingman, guiding us through the furious and testosterone-soaked road.

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

Foodfight! Aug 02, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

One of the worst, most disgusting animated movies of all time. This obscure yet notorious exercise in soulless corporate shilling dressed up as punky rebellion is a collaborative work of supreme incompetence.

Begun in the early 2000s to surf in on the Pixar wave, but eventually released after Wreck-It Ralph in just a few cinemas, most people will thankfully never have heard of this. We are here to tell you the whole sorry story of what plays out like a nightmare before your reeling eyeballs.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Aaron LaCluyze of Monday Night Magic @lacluyze

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

Stranger Things [Seasons 2 & 3] Jul 26, 2019

[School of Everything Else 2019]

This began as a short, thirty-minute Patreon-exclusive Quick Review just of Season 3. We didn't want to go all out since we hadn't actually covered Season 2 and the two-part Season 1 spectacular we recorded in 2017 was a Herculean feat of podcasting.

However, this is a strong TV show that never ceases to delight us and that Quick Review soon got deeper, before we went back and watched all of Season 2 again, this time with our daughter. The lighter, more comedic and campy third season effectively gave way to a more dramatic series of arcs about recovering from trauma, which means we ended up going back and forth between both seasons for the second part of this show, and hit some surprising revelations which made this what I'm going to call 'Main Event' podcasting.

Due to some health issues mentioned at the beginning we are holding back the three remaining summer Commissions for a few weeks, but I have a bunch of banked shows for you folks that you're hopefully going to love, including next week's Foodfight!

Spider-Man: Far from Home Jul 19, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The seventh live-action Spider-Man movie, but the eleventh big-screen outing for the wall-crawler. Following on from the creative magnificence of Spider-Verse was going to be a tough gig, but this movie seemed to please a lot of people.

This show is about how planet Earth is bouncing back from cataclysmic disaster, the key reasons Marvel villains differ from its heroes, how Peter Parker is not Iron Man, and how deception is a key enemy of our age.

Guests:

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Maya Santandrea @mayasantandrea

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

The Last Unicorn Jul 12, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The first of our Summer 2019 Commission Season is this beloved 1982 Rankin Bass animated cult classic. This episode acts kind of as a sister show to our early 2016 Flight of Dragons ep.

It's the story of a unicorn who ventures from the safety of her lilac forest out into a dangerous world to search for the rest of her kind. And it's the kind of story that while dismissed by most means the whole world to a select few.

So we recruited two of them to give us their accounts of how important this has always been to them. Also a big thank you to Holly Dotson who provided us with reference materials and a short essay for this one.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

The Island of Dr Moreau Jul 05, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

One of the most difficult film productions of all time, the 1996 adaptation of the H.G. Wells book drove the cast and crew to the brink of madness. In many ways paralleling the infinitely-more-celebrated Apocalypse Now this was an ill-considered jungle shoot with a tyrannical director and Marlon Brando causing friction with his weird, selfish behaviour.

Few have seen this film, and those in the know who might have seen the excellent making-of documentary "Lost Soul" will be aware that before Wolfgang Petersen came on board there was a little-known English chap named Richard Stanley (pictured here dressed as a dog) who was fired from his own passion project after Val Kilmer failed to materialise.

The story just gets weirder. And fairly dark too. Be warned.

Inside Out Jun 28, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

We haven't covered Pixar for an astonishing eight years, since the Toy Story trilogy of early 2011, so rather than starting from A Bug's Life and continuing through their entire library in the style of our Disney series we're going to cherry-pick our favourites when we have something to really say about them.

In this case we begin anew with our top choice, the 2015 story of emotions embodied within the head of a tween girl. And to get the best angle we brought in a pair of psychologists

Guests:

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm

Amy Donaldson of @TwoShrinksPod

Dark Phoenix Jun 21, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Time to close the book on the Fox X-Men movies and the podcast series that Sharon and I started in 2014.

If you haven't seen the film (and statistically this is the case) we will talk you through it. We can't spoil anything. There's no surprises TO spoil. It might sound like we're furious and that we hate this thing, but our response is something more like intense disappointment spread over two decades, so that it becomes *expected* disappointment. It stems from a place of frustration that it was THESE people who got handed the keys to such a potentially fascinating city for so very long.

But we always like to look for the good in things and accordingly we root out the best aspects over the years and give credit where it's due.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Jun 14, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

A film that immediately filled the majority of critics with derision, disdain and disgust. Now we don't want to say the majority of critics are wrong, but if they're saying there's no character to this and nothing below the surface then we don't have much choice, do we?

Because what we have here is a joyful epic, a loopy sci-fi about the old Gods coming back to reclaim the Earth, leaving mankind running around their gargantuan feet just hoping the more benevolent ones win. But those Gods are representational, and that conflict means something.

For fans of kaiju movies this is the big-budget fun-fest they've always dreamed of. For us, we see a measure of depth and detail that is being overlooked by almost everyone (much like with Pacific Rim) and spotlighting that nuance is what this show was made for.

To help us out and put things in perspective we recruited a crew of Godzilla fans who adored this film.

Guests:

Bob Chipman @the_moviebob of The Escapist & Geek.com

Brendan Foley @TheTrueBrendanF of Cinapse

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 of Leftover Army Monsters

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

King Kong Jun 07, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

With Godzilla II: King of the Monsters releasing this week, since we've already done a Godzilla show, we decided to cover his opponent in next year's long-awaited rumble of the Titans; Godzilla vs. King Kong.

That meant going back and examining essentially four versions of the same story. A boat-full of humans journeys to Skull Island for spurious reasons, encounter monstrous creatures and are both threatened and occasionally saved by a giant gorilla worshipped by the natives as their protector.

Three of these movies drag his enormous simian ass back to New York City where he is put on show and then killed by their military. Only the most recent of these four broke this cycle (mainly so he can fight Godzilla). So we look into what is going on in each age of the retelling.

1. (0.30) King Kong 1933

2. (5.35) King Kong 1976

3. (12.00) King Kong Chat W/Sharon

4. (19.45) King Kong 2005

5. (31.30) Kong: Skull Island 2017

6. (1.04.45) The future of the Monsterverse

The first three pieces here are from my book of collected assay's "Movie A Day" and can be found on the Kindle store: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXXQLQN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i7

Men in Black May 31, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

With the release of Men in Black: International we went back to the original trilogy starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Mr Jones' younger model Josh Brolin.

And what a wildly mixed bag we have here. The first is excellent, though almost too brief, the second is an atrocious unfunny mess and the third (which most people didn't see because they were so put off by the second) is actually quite a dedicated time travel sci-fi tale with a sudden, disarming emotional punch at the end.

We recommend seeing 1 and 3 if you haven't yet. Just hearing about 2 will be quite enough.

0h 01m Men in Black

0h 57m Men in Black II

1h 40m Men in Black 3

Detective Pikachu May 24, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The first ever live action Pokemon movie turned out to be one of our favourite films of 2019. A modest-yet-fleetingly-epic tale of a lonely young man searching for his father, uncomfortably partnered up with a coffee-addled, yet determined talking Pikachu.

We go into why this choice of focus was ideal to introduce the wider audience to this world, the myriad tiny details that were there if you looked, the surprisingly powerful performances and the absolutely bonkers master plan of the eventual villain.

PLUS your casting choices for Jessie, James & Meowth, sent to us via #SOMhandsup

Guests

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Nathan Bertram @bertnerdtram of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast @VGTMPodcast

John Wick May 17, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Since the third one is released this week and the series is not only continuing but branching out into TV and spin-offs we figured we'd journey back to the beginning and look at the 2014 original, examining what made it so powerful, relentless yet elegant.

The YouTube channel which we reference several times is Film Joy, the musical act we showcase is Kaleida, the YouTube video to watch is Nerf John Wick.

And this episode owes a great deal to the masterful scoring of Tyler Bates, whose music bears you up like a river and propels you through the experience of this movie, from reflective eddies to savage falls.

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Avengers: Endgame May 10, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

How could we possibly sum up this immensely important, densely packed three-hour odyssey that closes out eleven years and 22 movies worth of continuity?

The solution we came up with was a feat of organisation, collaboration and editing elegance that focuses on character arcs resolving and continuing with viewpoints from the biggest assembly of guests we have ever had in a single sitting. Appropriate, wouldn't you say?

Plus a wildly speculative Patreon bonus show all about the plot mechanics and the future of the MCU. This is one of our very best.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew

Maya Santandrea of Hollywoo @mayasantandrea

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst @JeromeMci

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

From Sequentially Yours Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse @bastet8300

"The Men by the Lake" written and read by Alasdair Stuart of Escapeartists.net @AlasdairStuart

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

Find our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw where you can support our weekly shows and get access to all sorts of bonus goodies including an hour-long bonus episode on Endgame wherein we talk about time travel and where Marvel go from here.

The New Century Multiverse podcast can be found here: http://newcenturyshow.podbean.com/

Venom May 03, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Back when the movie launched in late 2018 I put together a 50-minute Quick Review for Patreon. It was so entertaining and full of detail that I've been meaning for a while to expand on it and bring that show to the main feed. So this is that, with 45 minutes of new material added, including Sharon's take on Venom, recorded in early 2019 and my reassessment of what worked about the film.

A space mission crashes back to Earth, bringing with it various gooey aliens of questionable morality. One crazed, underwritten billionaire seeks to create the perfect being by combining these aliens with hobos via symbiosis. And one jittery, journalistic loser represents a spanner in the works. Venom was poorly reviewed upon release, but audiences flocked to it nonetheless, generating an unlikely $855 million global box office. Part of this show is about examining why that might have been the case.

Next Week: Avengers Endgame

Pet Sematary Apr 26, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

This is a rigorous dissection of the 1989 movie, the 2019 movie and the 1983 book. In many ways this is a sister show to our IT episodes. Stephen King done wrong three times, even by King himself.

This doesn't just come down to me not liking the nasty tone of all three, there is a fundamental breach in the overarching philosophy of the author which renders this an aberration in his creative oeuvre. It's also dumb as hell and doesn't even follow its own internal logic, requiring characters to do moronic things just to reach the next rotten story-beat.

Changes were made for the contemporary adaptation and there's a curious new set of possibilities... which are then blithely squandered in cheap, heartless and deeply unimaginative fashion. Yes, it's garbage, but the reason we made a whole show out of this is that it could have been so much more.

The Mummy Returns Apr 19, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Not long after the 1999 original hit theatres Universal were on the phone to director Stephen Sommers with a basic request; "We need another one". And another one they got.

The creeping mystery and classical style of the first film was left in the sand and instead this is a rip-roaring race against time treasure hunt action spectacular.

This time around we discuss the bonkers reasoning when it comes to putting souls into living bodies, Sommers' obvious adulation of Terminator 2 and how The Mummy series was kind of a prototype Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And as a bonus, this episode includes my Quick Review of the 2017 movie "The Tom Cruise (Featuring a Female Mummy)" which was supposed to launch Universal's Dark Universe. Previously only available on Patreon, this sections starts at the 1h 23m mark.

Guests:

James Batchelor @James_Batchelor of Bond & Beyond

Brendan Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

The Mummy Apr 12, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

The 1999 adventure has turned out to be one of our most eagerly-awaited podcasts.

This time we delve into costume and actions to get a bead on subtle character-building that isn't in the script. It's a triumph of set-design and music and pacy, memorable and surprisingly progressive filmmaking.

We also go into its lengthy pre-production run and the string of very different director's visions for the Mummy project. Next week we talk The Mummy Returns (plus the best bits from my Quick Review of the 2017 Dark Universe initiator "The Tom Cruise".

Guests:

James Batchelor @James_Batchelor of Bond & Beyond

Brendan Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Apr 05, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

On paper this is a film we should absolutely love, based on a book we should also absolutely love. Average boy discovers a secret, secluded old mansion populated by strange children with special powers, looked after by an eccentric and magical woman, played by a fine actress and directed by a man known for his quirky outsider tales and memorable imagery. From a multi-part children's book series literally inspired by odd Victorian photographs!

And yet it was a strangely cold, disconnected, hollow experience filled with troubling and ultimately unexamined behaviour that makes the central character a different kind of villain to the grotesque child-eating monsters filling up the corners.

This is a facsimile of a Guillermo del Toro version of X-Men Hogwarts, run through so many filters of nonsense and artifice that there's almost nothing genuinely effective left. What started out as a Quick Review ended up being edited three times into an exploration of our troubles with Tim Burton.

Next Week: The Mummy!

Get Out Mar 29, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

With Jordan Peele's second film, Us tearing up cinemas right now we figured the time was exactly right to explore his densely symbolic, thrilling debut Get Out. This is a movie that does not pull its punches. It's kind of amazing that it exists at all, considering the deeply uncomfortable system-damning subtext.

A young fellow named Chris journeys with his girlfriend to visit her parents, and there's some conflict. We can all agree on the universality of this premise, but Peele deftly takes the audience and puts them behind someone else's eyes to accomplish something truly unnerving. Definitely see the film before listening.

And as with Captain Marvel's lineup of ladies, rather than being two white liberal podcasters churning out our reading from the outside we brought in guests of colour to lend some sharp perspective.

Guests

Aquila Edwards @aquilaedwards

Eric Jones of Waxing Cinematic

Captain Marvel Mar 22, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Maybe our most eagerly-awaited, long-time-coming Marvel's of all finally arrives. And to distinguish this show from a LOT of the lukewarm dude-filled discussion about this movie we have four brilliant ladies talking and smiling as much or as little as they like.

We begin with my own list of every male hero in sci-fi, fantasy and superhero movies since the late 70s and an accompanying MUCH SHORTER list of female leads in the same space. After that I shut up as much as I can and let the women explore the themes, details and subtleties.

For everyone who just found it okay, we're hoping we can give you a fresh perspective on a really impactful film for a lot of women.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw @cai_boxer

Maya Santandrea @mayasantandrea

Mackenzie Easton: @KenziePhoenix

Debbie Morse @bastet8300

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

We Need to Talk About Fandom Mar 15, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

A long-planned show, following up on "Fan Response" in 2013 which can be found on the School of Everything Else Archive. Things were becoming problematic back then and now, six years later, matters are worse.

This is a show all about examining where we each stand in our fandoms and dispelling the binary, black and white "You are either with us or against us" mentality which has cultivated a climate of extreme feeling that we are bombarded with every day. It's not about exclusion, it's about reclaiming nuance and being comfortable having mixed feelings.

Contents

0.02: The State of Fandom Now

0.23: The Colour Wheel

1.20: Outside Interference

1.28: Eight Fallacies

1.33: Mixed Feelings

1.36: The Code

1.48: Working With The Code

1.59: Credits

2.03: What Can We Do?

Guests:

Lorin Grieve @XaviaShandi

Maya Santandrea @mayasantandrea

Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22

Debbie Morse @bastet8300

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

The Good Place Mar 01, 2019

[School of Everything Else 2019]

One of the most compulsive and mind-expanding TV shows in recent years, The Good Place is an unfolding exploration of philosophy and morality which takes the brightly coloured appealing form of comedy frozen yogurt.

If you've not seen it, the best summation is that a woman named Eleanor Shelstrop dies and is welcomed into heaven by a kindly angel-type named Michael, only to realise she shouldn't be there because she's a rotten, selfish wretch and Michael thinks she's a much better person also called Eleanor Shelstrop. Her attempts to not be found out and maybe slip through the net, aided by her soulmate, a nervous Professor of Moral Philosophy named Chidi are just the beginning of an afterlife adventure that questions human behaviour.

In this episode we cover the first three seasons, which are all currently available on Netflix. We have to go full-spoiler because so much keeps getting revealed every season that our discussion would be supremely limited otherwise.

Next Week: Our long-promised episode on The Matrix is finally here, just in time for its 20th Anniversary.

The Lego Movie 2 Feb 22, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

We did not expect to be recording on this one so soon. To begin with after watching the movie I thought I could get everything I needed to say into a Quick Review, but Sharon needed to see it and then on the second viewing the layers just kept expanding and expanding outwards until my brain exploded.

The first movie was going to be impossible to follow, and yet somehow this one is more meaningful. We ended up talking with our guests for three hours and I have spent two solid days honing the main release show into the best it possibly can be. The remaining 87 minutes will be available as a bonus podcast, which while meandering makes for some fascinating additional perspective.

This one does get pretty dark, introspective, existential and at times fairly bleak. The episode isn't suitable for children, though the movie most definitely is, and both end on a note of re-energising hope for the future.

The YouTuber I sample a clip from, where she talks about Star Wars dolls is Jenny Nicholson, whom I urge all of you to subscribe to. She's fantastic!

Guests:

Brendan Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22 and

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

Toby Jungius @TJungius of http://theinquisitivej.tumblr.com/

And we are @SchooloofMovies

Crazy Rich Asians Feb 15, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

One of our favourite films of 2018 arrives in style for this vibrant celebration of an exotic culture. This is the biggest Asian-American cast since Joy Luck Club in 1993, and tells a very different story, about a regular young American woman finding out on an innocuous family trip that her boyfriend Nick is crazy rich.

Now this could have been disastrous viewing for us. Both Sharon and I are automatically suspicious of wealth, if you're a billionaire there's a lot of things you could be doing with your insane level of fortune that could be helping the world, so a movie about obnoxious rich people, either with the viewpoint of "Aren't these people idiotic parasites?" or "Don't you envy their lifestyle?" would have made us puke.

However, director Jon M. Chu (again whose filmography seems designed to repel us, with four Step Up movies, Jem and the Holograms, G.I. Joe Retaliation and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never under his belt) takes a book that might have done exactly the above and along with the help of a fresh and masterful crew and cast re-crafts it into something extraordinary, and down-to-Earth, yet fresh and global-contemporary. It is at its core a very relatable tale of being an outsider and immense family pressure.

And as a special treat we were able to snag one of the supporting cast members, Calvin Wong who plays Peik Lin's adorkable brother PT (the chap with the phone and the heart-hands). And Calvin was absolutely brilliant to have on, lending us perspective on filming, on Singaporean and Malaysian culture and quite a bit of insight into the finished story.

Guests:

Calvin Wong: Follow him on Twitter at @ithayla

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM

And we are @SchooloofMovies

Highlander II Feb 08, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Five years after the original film lost money, the producers, director and stars were all back with a much higher budget for a Blade Runner-chasing dystopian tale of Connor MacLeod in the future and suddenly Ramirez. In a baffling move they backpedalled on the original premise making all Highlanders in fact (this works best when you say it in a booming B-movie announcer voice) aliens from the planet Zeist!

There are so many problems with this one from the word go that it's a challenge to separate them out. They have a knock-on effect of making things more confusing with a wildly mismatched tone between trying to be taken too seriously and pushing the humour to absurd levels. Nothing makes sense and none of the performances match each other, and the Argentinian shoot was plagued with troubles including crew injuries, ecological disasters and a spiralling budget.

Four years after the sequel lost even more money than the first movie, director Russell Mulcahy went back in for a new edit with reshoots and a forced change of plot to make something called "The Renegade Cut" which was more in-line with the rest of Highlander canon. Wherever this is mentioned online the attitude seems to be "This makes the film finally good." We're here to tell you today that it doesn't.

BUT all that effort ultimately wasn't for nothing because watching either version is unintentionally hilarious, and this podcast was an absolute blast to record.

Guests:

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow

Highlander Feb 01, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

"Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold"... No wait,

"There can only be one!"

A good question would of course then be "Why was there more than one?" Because the answer certainly isn't "Money!"

The original Highlander is a sci-fi fantasy that awkwardly mashes together slightly-too-serious delivery with crazy camp ostentatiousness and a kickass Queen soundtrack. Nowhere near enough people have seen it, and we want to help remedy that.

Back in 2016 we recorded a pair of shows on Highlander which sat in raw form for three years, waiting to be released. Recently, when I began the edit I found myself disappointed by the general lack of energy and meandering nature of the show on the first film (mainly down to me rushing everyone through a running synopsis) yet my guests still said some fascinating things.

So a week ago I brought them back for a gathering and we did a show on Highlander again. This time for the edit I seamlessly interwove the best bits of the old show with the main body of the new version. Next week you'll get to hear our 2016 episode on Highlander II: The Quickening, which was much more on-point because that film is utterly bananas.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow

The Lonely Island Jan 25, 2019

[School of Everything Else 2019]

In an unusual turn we're bringing back the Sound of Gonzo format to examine the oeuvre of a comedy rap group. What started out as a series of scrappy Saturday Night Live sketches poking fun at self-serious hip-hop became a symphony of professionally produced music indistinguishable from the premier artists of the age, aside from the fact that the lyrics are all hilarious.

This trio is/was Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, and what we're about to play for you here has the unifying factor of exposing fragile, male egos and the psychosexual neurosis behind them.

If you've never heard of them, if you're well aware of them or if (most likely) you've heard a few of their songs, allow us to go in-depth as we explore the Lonely Island, culminating in their underseen gem of a glamorous mockumentary, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

1. My Mic Sounds Nice

2. Who Said We’re Whack?

3. Lazy Sunday

4. Dick in a Box

5. Cool Beans

6. Jizz in my Pants

7. Like a Boss

8. I’m on a Boat

9. We Like Sportz

10. I just Had Sex

11. Mama

12. Jack Sparrow

13. Motherlover

14. The Golden Rule

15. Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde

16. Threw it on the Ground

17. After Party

18. Great Day

19. Diaper Money

20. YOLO

21. Spring Break

22. I Run New York

23. Donkey Roll

24. Turn up the Beef

25. I’m so Humble

26. Equal Rights

27. Hunter the Hungry is Gon’ Eat

28. I’m a Weirdo

29. F**k Off

30. Things in my Jeep

31. Everything is Awesome

32. Incredible Thoughts

33. Semicolons

34. I Don’t Give a Honk

Robin Williams Season Jan 18, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Now that we've talked about Good Will Hunting and ensured you guys know how much we love seeing Robin Williams at his best we can take a more critical look at a mixed bag of his work with not one but four films on the slate.

1. Bicentennial Man

2. One Hour Photo

3. License to Wed

4. Mrs Doubtfire

One of them is really surprisingly good and has held up very well for us. One of them is a tonally mismatched mess with some thought-provoking moments, one of them is genuinely wrongheaded and disturbing and caused our greatest ever outburst in the history of this show, and one of them slaloms between having a good message and championing the antics of a madman.

One thing is certain though; we wish Robin was still here.

Good Will Hunting Jan 11, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

Back in late 1997 while Titanic was tearing up the box office around the time it came to pick the nominees for awards season, this small, personal drama was impressing small, personal audiences everywhere.

It's kind of gut-churning to look at the way this was promoted, courting awards left right and centre, all to further Miramax and their manufactured prestige. One of the posters shunted the actors to the left to fill most of the sheet with proclamations of its many accolades. Uncomfortable because of who Miramax was run by but also inappropriate because this is arguably Gus Van Sant's best and most delicate film, it's the serious introduction of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to the world of cinema, and most of all it's debatably the finest dramatic performance in Robin Williams' illustrious career.

It's exceptionally well-played by a fantastic cast, contains at least four world-class dramatic scenes, and in our discussion of it, considering the subject matter of unseen parental abuse and the havoc it can wreak on developing minds, things got pretty heavy. So this might be a difficult show for some to get through, but I hope the end result is worthwhile.

Bumblebee Jan 04, 2019

[School of Movies 2019]

After eleven years of terrible Michael Bay Transformers movies, which America and then the rest of the world slowly checked out of, leaving the fifth (which actually isn't too bad) to perform below expectations Paramount and Hasbro reshuffled for an inexpensive prequel spin-off movie, which, due to its change in creative team and divorce from those earlier movies is way better.

But it's not just because it lacks the gross fratboy sensibilities of its predecessors, there's actually a really superb film in here which hearkens back to Amblin pictures in the 80s. We brought on a bunch of brains to get to the bottom of this, discovering some deep love for Transformers along the way.

Guests:

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow

Into the Spider-Verse Dec 28, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

One of the best films of the year, and one of the best ways to end it. This one has already garnered itself something of a cult following with everyone who has seen it passionately declaring its qualities, but still not nearly enough people seeing it during a December absolutely packed to the gills with high quality blockbusters.

As a major event in comic book movie history this film, produced by Lord and Miller of The Lego Movie has one of the most arresting visual styles in all of cinema. But that's just the first thing you will notice. there's so much more going on under the hood.

So we talk through it, using your questions to us at @SchoolofMovies using the hashtag #SOMhandsup and for this we have a lineup of truly spectacular voices.

Guests:

Bob Chipman MovieBob

Hollywoo actress Maya Santandrea

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22 and

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

Ant-Man and The Wasp Dec 21, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

After the operatic Infinity War we come to an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that some people needed to see and some people really didn't.

Honest Trailers really nailed this one when they called it Marvel Season 3, Episode 8. That is what it feels like. And we begin the show with why I left the cinema muttering to myself. "Huh." Not with a question mark, that's a crucial conjuncture. Followed by a chunk of discussion on the stronger points that those who found this welcome and appealing relished.

I kept the cut of the main show hyper-focused to a precise hour, though there is 40 minutes of additional (somewhat meandering) chat that will be available on Patreon for those who want more.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22 and

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

Collin Miller of The Cinema Cephalopod

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

Mary Poppins Dec 14, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

An accompaniment to our Disney shows, and perhaps Walt's greatest film. Not his greatest achievement, that was surely the pioneering of a feature-length animated film in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Not his greatest achievement, that arguably is the founding of an entertainment business that today has significant influence the world over. But his greatest single film experience... maybe.

Journey back with us to 1910, a bright and naive era, sandwiched between two ages of intense hardship. And meet a woman who claims to never be cross and proceeds to spend most of the movie thoroughly peeved, claims to be practically perfect in every way, yet gaslights children and manipulates them into ethical opposition to the prevailing patriarchy, and by all rights should be an insidious destructive force, but is in fact a wellspring of healing for a family that is considered by its father to be actually perfect in every way.

It's a triumph and a masterpiece and for the longest time, the author of its source book hated it for the same reasons a lot of people hate Disney.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa @Moonpanther22 and

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours

Mackenzie Easton @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod

Spider-Man (PS4) Nov 30, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

This turned out to be one of my favourite games of all time, and as you'll hear it pushed so many of my positive buttons that exceptionally good games released immediately after I finished just don't measure up, for a variety of reasons.

This was a commissioned show by Chris Finik. I wasn't going to do an episode about it because I was very aware it might become work and suck all the joy out of the experience, but I was able to hit the right balance and crucially I decided while I was halfway through rather than being set the daunting task of completing and assessing forty hours of gameplay without having played a moment.

There are strong arguments afoot that this is one of the finest depictions of the wall-crawler in any media. We talk about why, and save the spoilers for the last act (around two hours in and you'll get a fair warning so nothing will be made worse for you if you haven't played, only better).

Guest:

Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow

Colossal Nov 23, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Seoul, Korea is under attack by a blundering kaiju that causes chaos whenever it turns up. Meanwhile in the fictional dirthole town of Mainhead, New England a recently single, unemployed writer named Gloria returns home from New York to the place of her childhood, bringing along her alcoholism and destructive antisocial behaviour.

This is a quirky, blackly humorous little drama about human weakness and how difficult it can be to break terrible habits, especially when you hang out with the wrong people.

Next Week: Spider-Man PS4

Guest:

Hollywoo actress Maya Santandrea

Creed Nov 16, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Since the original Rocky in 1976 (which is still fantastic more than 40 years on) this saga has been Sylvester Stallone's baby. He directed four of the previous six movies, and wrote and starred in all of them. Then the director of a little-known indie picture called Fruitvale Station which screened at Sundance, comes along with his idea for a story that breathes new life into the series whilst paying respectful homage to the history and characters.

That man was Ryan Coogler, and would go on to helm Marvel's Black Panther, but not before he made the best Rocky film so far. One so rich and relevant and fresh it makes Rocky IV somehow better than the collection of montages it was the day before Creed released.

Next Week: Colossal

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse

The Warriors Nov 09, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

In an alternate future New York a thousand gang members from a hundred gangs convene to hear one man speak about ending their petty conflicts, and unifying against the police. His assassination is blamed on one hapless group, who head home to Coney Island with everyone else on their tail.

The world this puts forward became the basis of the side-scrolling brawler in video games of the 80s. Double Dragon, Final Fight and Streets of Rage all owe something to this Neonpunk nightmare, directed by Walter Hill.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Event Horizon Nov 02, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Our Commissions season for late 2018 begins with this haunted house in space from the director of Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Alien vs. Predator and Death Race; Paul W.S. Anderson.

Event Horizon cost $60 million, and made $26m back. It has a freshness rating of 26% and yet it is regarded as a quality, scary film. That's the kind of contradictions cult classics are made of. We delved in there to look at the mechanics on show, along with the many clear influences to work out why it so appealing to so many.

Neil Taylor of GameBurst

Lorin Grieve

Bram Stoker's Dracula Oct 26, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

In 1992 Frances Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather Trilogy and Apocalypse Now tackled the first cinematic adaptation of the seminal 1897 Gothic Horror novel by Bram Stoker. It was a character that had been a screen icon for decades already and synonymous with charismatic monsters, but to date nobody had decided to follow the book closely.

It has not yet been bettered.

The addition of his lost wife, reincarnated as Mina Murray nudged this into an extremely accomplished Gothic Romance, but beyond the emotional strength added to the text this stands as a love letter to now-antiquated special effects, specifically those dating back to the Victorian birth of cinema.

It is still an absolute triumph, despite (or maybe because of) the hilarious non-mastery of the English accent from some of its stars. It also features a performance of Dracula by Gary Oldman of extraordinary intensity. Screaming with rage, and yet brooding in pain. We go deep on this one. almost Lord of the Rings levels of focus on the many tiny details that make this shadowy tale totally worth watching.

Wreck-It Ralph + Winnie the Pooh Oct 19, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

We begin with a movie so underappreciated and barely known that it's not even in the British canon of Disney movies, they just skip over it and mis-number the next one. Winnie the Pooh 2011 is a charming, harmless, fun and short little adventure, and it was their actual final 2D cel-animated animated classic. There's more to say about its obscurity and design than there is to say about its events.

And after that we launch into arguably the best movie ever made about video games, one that leaves the many dismal adaptations choking on its pixelated dust trails. Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney action adventure for all the family done so very right, and hides a generous helping of progressive nuance under its candy-coloured surface.

Next week: Bram Stoker's Dracular is our Halloween Spooktacular episode.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Tangled Oct 12, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

I say this with no hyperbole, I think you may be listening to our best Disney show. It is epic in length and rich in scope, we go deep and the evolution of the Disney film takes a big leap, aesthetically, technically and emotionally.

Rather than simply deliver Rapunzel in the style of the 90s renaissance the creative team here very deliberately updated the approach to a fairy-tale world in a way that would pay off big time in Frozen but makes itself known here with confidence, rather than reactively copying their competitors. This is how things are going to be for a long time, bolstered by the Marvel movies, which this follows in a similar and appealing pattern.

We also have an important announcement to make at the end of the show.

Next week: Wreck-It Ralph and Winnie the Pooh

Guests

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Maureen Foley of The New Century Multiverse

The Princess and the Frog Oct 05, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Now we're talking. While the last two movies were an upswing from the doldrums of Chicken Little this one was the first to confidently step out in a direction that was both established and classical and representative of Disney at its best AND also new and twisty, fondly critical of their past successes, progressive and modern.

If you've somehow not seen it but have enjoyed the 90s Renaissance you will find much of value here, including the directors of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, one of the most toe-tapping soundtracks and an animation style that is just heavenly to drink in. This is one of our all-time favourites.

This was the last of its kind, with 2011s Winnie the Pooh forming an epilogue to the 2D dynasty and Tangled, the year after truly kicking off the 3D animation era after a series of false starts.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Meet The Robinsons + Bolt Sep 28, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The mid-2000s saw Disney continuing to flail about in search of a new identity. They still didn't have a clear idea of who they wanted to be seen as now, they just knew it wasn't Aladdin and Jasmine singing on a magic carpet.

So here was a duo of CG animated curios, with some genuine charm amidst some baffling choices, deliberately homogenised with the output of their rival studios. They can be described thusly;

1. Genius orphan visits future and hangs out with a family of crazy people.

2. Deluded television superdog travels America to get back to his owner.

Next week: The Princess and the Frog

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Home on the Range + Chicken Little Sep 21, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Now we have reached a truly dark time in Disney's history.

These are two barnyard adventures featuring shrieking animals, wafer-thin plots and zero growth, either for the characters or creatively for the production teams.

As such there's little to talk about beyond ducks getting smacked in the head, so we devote most of this episode to discussing the painful transition from 2D cel animation to 3D. It began as one of our weakest, most aimless Disney shows, and for that I literally apologise midway through, but by the end, while the tone gets heavy and we are powered along by anger and frustration it turns into something a lot stronger as a true sense of loss begins to set in.

There were far brighter things just on the horizon, but some decisions cannot be undone, and the repercussions are what we all have to live with.

Next week: A double-bill of Meet The Robinsons & Bolt

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Treasure Planet & Brother Bear Sep 15, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Treasure Planet: Maybe Disney's biggest mistake since The Black Cauldron. Actually, that comparison isn't a bad one at all. Both were epic-but-short adventures with the focus on a young boy that many audiences struggled to love, both were adaptations of difficult books, both were departures from the studio's accustomed style, both had awkward comedy moments that didn't quite land, both were insanely expensive and both were expected to bear rich dividends at the box office, tanked instead and forced the house of mouse to re-evaluate, leading ultimately to a golden age of parity between creators and money men, garnering massive financial and critical success.

But to achieve that they had to fail big time first. And as failure's go Treasure Planet is a frequently beautiful one. It has its annoying characters and manifestly poor decisions on show, but there are bits that genuinely make us well up with emotion, a wonderful James Newton Howard score and the same deep canvas animation technique as Tarzan. It's an oddity and a bittersweet one at that.

Brother Bear: This is the definition of a mixed Disney bag. On the one hand you have truly gorgeous animation, a promising premise, the chance to proclaim that you've learned from past mistakes as they partain to the portrayal of native peoples, the feel of The Lion King, a talented voice cast, an Oscar-winning singer and Tina goddamned Turner!

On the other you have a confused series of events, a tone that veers between how merciless nature is and a cloyingly sweet Saturday morning cartoon from 1984, a plot structure that appears to have gaps, an uneven sense of humour unlikely to make many people laugh, and worst of all, a panicking executive team ready to pull the plug on traditional animation if you screw up, and ready to chase Shark Tale into the sewer of quality.

Guess what happened...

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Lilo & Stitch Aug 31, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

While there are still some good Disney films left before they hit their modern fourth renaissance this one is special. Either the swansong of the 90s era or the strongest example of how the studio COULD have been amazing during this muddled 2000s period, had they married creativity with heart and focus more often rather than wildly attempting six different things at once in an attempt to stay relevant.

Creator Chris Sanders (who cut his teeth on the best of the 90s fare working on Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan) was bound for big things. How to Train Your Dragon was in the distance, and it's very easy to draw a line between that series and this, with its focus on drawing alarming, dangerous creatures into families that don't realise they need these new members. He also directed The Croods, which is probably the best movie about neolithic people, despite being a family comedy.

Lilo & Stitch, the tale of how a creature of mass destruction finds a place in a little, broken family on a peaceful, beautiful island with no cities to destroy is a rightful favourite of many. We attempt to do it justice here.

Next week: Treasure Planet.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Atlantis: The Lost Empire Aug 24, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This project began life when its creators mused over why nobody made Indiana Jones style adventures any more and Disney certainly hadn't attempted an animated film along those lines.

And when you look at the chemistry at play here; a script begun by Joss Whedon (The Avengers), directed by Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise (Beauty and the Beast) starring Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future), art design by Mike Mignola (Hellboy) score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) with a support cast of amazing old, now all sadly-departed actors (Leonard Nimoy, James Garner, John Mahoney, David Ogden Stiers and Jim Varney) it's hard to see how it could have been anything other than a roaring success.

Atlantis made okay box office, not quite doubling its budget, and it set a dangerous trap by somehow conveying to general audiences that Disney's boys-own adventures were going to be mediocre movies to stay away from, which then hit them HARD with Treasure Planet the next year.

But it's got some really good stuff in there, even if it is a bit of an uneven mess with missed opportunities left and right.

Next week: Lilo & Stitch.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

The Emperor's New Groove Aug 17, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The Disney shows return. And this time we are entering their dark age. A period of creative freedom and box office flops, when the house of mouse was going through a serious identity crisis.

Thanks to Pixar and the evolution of 3D graphics animation had changed in a big way over the previous few years and the world was about to be flooded in barnyard adventures as studios began popping up doing cheap and cheerful, yet cynical animal comedies, and growing more successful than Disney who kept veering about, reactively changing direction, unsure of what it wanted to be.

An epic Prince and the Pauper drama set in Mesoamerica was halted part-way through production and The Emperor's New Groove was what it became.

Unlike any other Disney this film is a madcap comedy steeped in absurd, mid-20th century cartoon illogic, arch absurdism and fourth-wall-shattering canny narration.

The people who love it REALLY love it, because for them it succeeds triumphantly.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Fantasia 2000 + Dinosaur Aug 17, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Fantasia 2000: Probably not many people's favourite Disney movie unless there's some deeply personal story attached what this is represents an attempt to resurect Walt's idea for an ever-changing roster of musical sequences with Disney animation. If you figure it would have changed and evolved over the years, had the original proved successful, and gone with the original model of adding new sequences in place of old, some might say that 59 years later it would resemble this movie. Then again, some wouldn't. We also debate what a third movie in this style could be like, and what it would take to finally start drawing in the crowds. Daniel Floyd once again joins us for a talk about this contentious battle between artists and money men.

Dinosaur: [Found at the 1h 24m mark]. Disney's attempt to enter the 3D animation markert involved computer animated model dinosaurs set against real world environments. It could have been spectacular and transportive... if they hadn't simply swallowed and regurgitated Don Bluth's Land Before Time without any of the heart or special moments.

Guest

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Wrestlemania XXX Aug 10, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

Do not adjust your phones, you are reading this one correctly. Despite barely ever mentioning wrestling in over eleven years of podcasting we are now doing an epic-length show on what for newcomers might be the most instantly satisfying event in WWE history.

This isn't a show for wrestling fans (though you lot will get a kick out of it anyway) it's for people who aren't familiar with wrestling and have never really seen the appeal. We started watching these superbowl-style annual extravaganzas this year as a way to spend Sunday and take our minds off the awful shit that's happening in the world with some athletic soap opera, and this one in particular was a high point.

So pick it up on blu ray and watch it with friends, then listen to why it's so strong as an example of sports entertainment. OR listen to our show first (though we will spoil who wins each match) and we will talk you through what we've learned over these past months.

With us is a longtime fan and something of a wrestling historian to keep us on track whilst not wildly diverging, so we can all focus on why Wrestlemania 30 rocks!

Guest:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

The Orphanage Aug 03, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

To close out our triumphant Guillermo del Toro season we give you our deep exploration of the 2007 ghost story he produced, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona; The Orphanage.

Exquisitely, meticulously constructed as a mystery, this is one of the finest of its kind. Threaded through with intrigue, riven with suspense, punctuated with trauma with a heartbreaking yet uplifting conclusion you will never forget.

Next week: Wrestlemania 30 (Yes, you read that correctly. Track it down and watch it on blu ray with friends, *especially* if you don't like wrestling.)

My Audio Drama: Let Them Go

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

The Shape of Water Jul 27, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This turned out to be the surprise favourite del Toro of the season for one of our number. It's no mean feat to be able to produce work of the peerless quality of Pan's Labyrinth and still produce films that become the favourites of your audience.

The year is 1962, a creature has been found in a black lagoon and currently resides in a government facility where he will meet a mute janitor and form a powerful bond.

A fairy tale for troubled times, this story has a sweetness woven through GDTs beloved backdrops of social oppression, twisted human monsters and deliberately ambiguous endings. And it won him and the crew 13 Oscar nominations, four of which it won, including Best Picture and Best Director.

My Audio Drama: Let Them Go

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Crimson Peak Jul 20, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This one turned out to be my surprise favourite of the season. It's a Gothic romance which utilises the aesthetics of horror to tell a story of love, obsession and murder.

But it was released at a time when audiences were guzzling down clamorous ghost house jump scare fare and the general consensus was that it was a disappointment that refused to behave the way that people wanted.

When you revisit you will find the most sumptuous supernatural story ever made, with stunning achievements in set design, costume, lighting and sound, all intertwined with three amazing and melodramatic central performances.

It's a masterpiece.

My Audio Drama: Let Them Go

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Pacific Rim Jul 19, 2018

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This episode was previously published as the final instalment of Digital Gonzo #161, a month before we came back as Digital Drift with Sharon as the co-host.

Passed off as simply enjoyable dumb fun, and about nothing beyond enormous robots hitting big monsters, this movie proved to be absolutely perfect for our style of analysis, being in fact deeply textured, nuanced and detailed. We hope we can redress the balance on this and get my favourite film of 2013 recognized by a few more people as a modern masterpiece in visual storytelling.

My Audio Drama: The New Century Multiverse

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Artists

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Jul 13, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The second film is even better than the first. This time del Toro draws Hellboy deeper into his own world and away from the Mignola comics. And what we get is rich and nourishing, painted in beautiful red, black and gold.

I begin with a hopefully compelling positioning of Hellboy II as being more like movies from Marvel's Phase 3 than the movies of Phase 1 were.

We go on to discuss every aspect of this underseen dark fantasy classic, most likely the last time we will see Perlman as Big Red with GDT in the chair, but it grows more special every year as a result.

My Audio Drama: Let Them Go

Guest:

Victoria Grieve

Pan's Labyrinth Jul 06, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

At the close of the Spanish civil war a girl beginning to comprehend the horrors going on around her encounters a fairy world that reflects that violence and grotesquery.

Welcome to one of the best podcasts we've ever made. We go straight in with analysis of detail and breaking down this dense yet elegant dark fantasy into its meaningful parts.

Arguably del Toro's finest film in terms of craftsmanship, this one takes up residence in your heart and stays forever, to the point where just hearing the lullaby will instil a powerful sense of melancholy.

Guest:

Lorin Grieve

Hellboy Jun 29, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Del Toro's fifth film was a passion project for him which he still managed to position as a studio picture supernatural superhero sci-fi that ended up with middling success.

The Hellboy comic by Mike Mignola blends Lovecraftian horror, mythology and folklore with a no-nonsense, gruff mechanic's approach to the paranormal. It's a deeply appealing combination hearkening to Ghostbusters. Of the two GDT HBs this one sticks closer to the comic roots whilst being somewhat mired in the weaknesses of early 2000s blockbusters.

We adore the film and extol its strengths, including splendid practical effects, incredible detail, stirring music, fascinating lighting, delicate turns from Selma Blair and John Hurt and an iconic central performance from the man who will remain as forever linked with the character for me as Reeve's Superman and Evans' Captain America; Ron Perlman. When I read the comics, his is the voice I hear in my head. And the second film is even better.

Hellboy books to read: Seed of Destruction/The Right Hand of Doom

My Audio Drama: Let Them Go

Guest:

Victoria Grieve

Blade Trilogy Jun 22, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This is about all three of the half-human, half-immortal vampire slayer's films to date. I don't even know how that works, since him being apparently half-immortal grants him all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses it's more like he's double-immortal, a little bit human (the bit that occasionally smiles).

1998 Blade: Maybe the best translation from comics to screen of the 90s, this is a serious, pumping, dark action thriller.

2002 Blade II: Guillermo del Toro's play to get the studios to allow him to produce Hellboy for them, by delivering a blackly humorous over-the-top action horror with many of the trappings of his later movies.

2004 Blade Trinity: Forgoing a third director, New Line let David Goyer, the writer of all three take a shot at making a film, with disastrous results.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Victoria Grieve

The Devil's Backbone Jun 15, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

After many months of promising, and many weeks of recording sessions which you are going to love hearing, the Guillermo del Toro season is finally here.

Our guest for the duration is Lorin Grieve and we go deep into the texture and detail of these movies together, drawing parallels, exploring symbolism and discussing the greater themes and the making of each.

We begin with The Devil's Backbone, a captivating ghost story set in an orphanage, during the Spanish Civil War. It is a tale of fear and greed, anger and compassion, and it's one of his best.

These are essential viewing so track down the following on blu ray: Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 1 & 2, Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water. Next week we cover the Blade Trilogy, of which GDT directed the second.

Guest:

Victoria Grieve

The Emerald Forest Jun 08, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Our final commission for the first half of this year is a jungle adventure based (really loosely, it turns out) on a true story.

This one was very challenging for us. The film itself, as I state at the end, fails on almost every level for me, and has been bettered, countless times since its 1985 release, but there is still something of real merit inside.

We pull no punches and get angry about the way we, as a species treat environmental issues, and there are a bunch of callbacks to the more eco-friendly entertainment of our childhood.

And we start of with maybe the most contentious speech I have given on this show regarding filmmakers whose work speaks to me.

Next week: The Devil's Backbone

Solo Jun 01, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The second of the Star Wars anthology films emerges a mere five months after The Last Jedi. We are used to that in the era of the MCU but with the galaxy far, far away it feels strange, especially as Rian Johnson's film went out of its way to both evoke the formula of Empire Strikes Back and subvert it wickedly, challenging audiences everywhere, and what Ron Howard's effort delivers is more of a space romp.

It's the origin of how Han met Chewie, how Han met Lando, how Han met The Falcon, how Han made the Kessel Run in an average of 13 parsecs, and how certain characters betrayed other ones. This is so prevalent an occurrence it may as well have had the subtitle Solo: No Honor Among Thieves.

And lots and lots of people have enjoyed this movie. And I'm going to lay down some thought-provoking reasons why I wasn't among them. Fortunately we have some lovely guests who can talk about its stronger points.

Guests:

Voice Actor Alex Eding

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Deadpool 2 May 25, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is going to be the best thing you ever hear about Deadpool 2. I don't want to over-hype it, judge for yourself.

There's a lot of mixed feelings as we weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of this sequel.

If you've not heard them yet, we have done shows on all the previous X-Men movies, which can be found on the School of Movies Archive, an entirely separate feed on which we curate our back catalogue.

http://schoolofmoviesarchive.podbean.com/category/x-men/

Guests:

Jason "Chewie" Slate of The Mana Pool

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Ciaran Dachtler

Jesse Ferguson

The Neverending Story May 18, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

We journey back to the small-scale fantasy boom of the 80s with this German-filmed adaptation of the book Die Unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende. This is a commissioned show by Joel Robinson.

It's the simple tale of a newly motherless boy named Bastion who steals a magic book from a shop and reads it in his school attic. As the adventure he's engrossing himself in plays out it becomes apparent that something decidedly meta is going on.

It's an endlessly charming and sweet-natured film with memorable moments, crafted sets, earnest performances, haunting music and an unsettling darkness lurking beneath the twee exterior.

If you experience some kind of existential crisis while listening to this one we are available to talk to about it. We certainly went to unexpected places on our own journey.

Next week: Deadpool 2

Fright Night May 11, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

We were commissioned to cover the original 1985 version but decided to incorporate the 2011 remake as well.

A teenage boy named Charley Brewster is perturbed to find that the gentleman who just moved in next door is a vampire... named Jerry. But of course nobody will believe him. Charley's mother, his awkward friend Ed and his girlfriend Amy are all placed in danger, and he seeks out guidance in how to dispatch this denizen of darkness from local celebrity Peter Vincent.

How both films go about this varies quite a lot, with one being an affectionate, gory homage to the vampire flicks of yesteryear, fading from popularity, and the other being a nerve-shredding take on the evolving concept of protecting one's territory.

Our hypothesis is that because both films take different approaches to the same story they end up complimenting rather than repeating one another, and thus form a rare instance of balanced old and new.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Avengers: Infinity War May 04, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

"We come to it at last, the great battle of our time."

This show recording ran surprisingly long as we went off on wild tangents discussing where Marvel might go from here. Those are contained in a separate 80 minute podcast called Beyond Infinity which will be on the Patreon.

What you have here is a super-focused 70 minute discussion about the film, with heavy reflections on what it means and elements that stood out. You see, I divided it into two and oh my god, I'm Thanos!

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Lorin Grieve

Theo Leigh

The New Century Multiverse podcast can be found here: http://newcenturyshow.podbean.com/

Saga Apr 27, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

A currently ongoing comic series written by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and Fiona Staples (North 40/Mystery Society).

The remit of this commission was not to just talk about the first book and hold off of spoilers for the later instalments (since that's what a lot of people do) so we have to delve into the first eight volumes.

This makes it kind of tricky to know how much to listen to for newcomers to the series. My suggestion would be to stick with us for a while, and then if it sounds appealing buy and read the first book, then get the others if that sticks with you.

If it doesn't immediately grab you, listen until it does.

I'm rather proud of the custom soundtrack to this one. It's the music I would put in a potential movie series.

Next week: Avengers - Infinity War!

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Godzilla Apr 20, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This is a trilogy of tellings of the same enormous tale.

First the 1954 black and white Japanese original, Gojira, which was a deliberate allegory for something deadly serious. Then (skipping over about 21 very silly Toho films which pitted the big lizard against an array of iconic kaiju) we have the 1998 Roland Emmerich attempt to bring Godzilla to America.

And finally on the 60th anniversary of that first film, Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Monsters) delivered the beginnings of a monster-based cinematic universe with Godzilla playing a metaphor for both natural and nuclear disaster.

We were only commissioned to do the first one, but decided that the best show would be a comparative of these three, and we recruited a Godzilla expert to help us delve deeper.

Guest:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

The Babadook Apr 13, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

In recent weeks CinemaSins turned their brand of completely misunderstanding the very nature of the medium upon this wonderful, dark little psychological horror from Australia.

Here, for everyone in the world, by way of antidote, is a deep dive into what's really going on in this story of ghosts and violence. It gets super heavy, but will hopefully open it up for everyone who has seen the film (which we suggest you do first).

Guest:

Hollywoo Actress Maya Santandrea

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Apr 06, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

This one achieved notoriety as a so-bad-it's-great cult classic. However, while it's certainly applicable as nanar, this confused mess of a survival horror actually stands more as a reverse yardstick of how NOT to make a film.

Join us as we hurtle through bird-infested motels, beaches, woodlands and gas stations on one of the worst journeys a person could be forced to take. Coat-hangers at the ready, along with a small, and inexhaustible arsenal.

Say goodbye to coherence, human performances or any possible hope of the ambient sound matching between shots. And by god, get used to the music because it is going to get stuck, horribly inside your head.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Mar 30, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

We're back on video games with a very intriguing commission. This one takes the form of a third-person action adventure with some protracted puzzling elements, but underneath the format there is a dark and upsetting, remarkably sensitive story about the nightmarish challenges that sometimes have to be faced when a person is suffering from psychosis.

Made by Ninja Theory, the dev team behind Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, DMC and Disney Infinity 3.0 this game does things with its soundscape that very few others do. If you've not played it this show might still be a good place to start because you might either find it frustrating or alarming to play or else miss quite a bit as you barge through the many horned enemies.

WARNING: This one gets heavy and maybe even frightening.

Guest:

Doctor Lorin Grieve from Year of Steam

Miami Connection Mar 23, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

We are firmly back in nanar country with this film that is so spectacularly, incompetently made, so tonally baffling, so confusingly arranged, yet so sweet-natured and weird that it flips right the way around to being a fantastic experience to watch.

We begin with a tale of ninjas busting drug deals in Miami (or mostly Orlando as it turns out), an intriguing plot that gets abandoned until the end to instead pursue the earnest misadventures of a Taekwondo-skilled synth rock band named Dragon Sound.

Many punks are kicked, tears flow horribly among these beach bum friends forever, and this missing gang from The Warriors find themselves in a deadly street war against the ninja. The whole show is scored with the soundtrack to Far Cry: Blood Dragon, which should tell you everything you need to know.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Raising a Geek Child: Vol. 2 Mar 16, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

We're back for the second part of this series (we may do another in the future, it really depends which parents want to contribute their experiences).

We have an even broader range of guests and questions, with geeky children ranging from toddlers to tweens.

Guests

Jesse Ferguson father of Connor aged 10 & Erin aged 15

James Batchelor father of Freddy aged 20 months (Bond & Beyond)

Matt Wardle father of Scott aged 12 (New Century)

Brittanie Boe mother of Hailey Boe aged 8 (BeBoldGames)

And Mike Hearn father of Lily aged 8 & Violet aged 3 (Walter the Wicked)

Raising a Geek Child: Vol. 1 Mar 09, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

The first of our two recorded shows on this subject so far. This was commissioned back in 2017 and Sharon and I began preparing copious notes on how we'd raised Lyra. Those notes became the beginnings of a sprawling self-help book which we planned to turn into audio. Then eventually we accepted that the subject was too big and far too important to just rely on our take.

So we pulled together two round table sessions with parents of geeky children. I go into detail on how that definition works at the beginning, but as it stands these interviews are packed with honest accounts and experiences that might help any number of parents out there. Whether you already have children or are thinking about having them or never want to have them at all but are interested in how the geekier parent might handle it, this show is essential listening.

Guests

Brendan Agenew, father of Marian, aged 1 (Cinapse)

Neil Taylor, father of Mikey, aged 3 (TheKidDogg)

Gary Blower, father of Imogen, aged 8 (GameBurst)

Sharon Shaw, mother of Lyra, aged 9 (New Century)

I'd also like to promote another geek Dad; Andy Robertson, who is running a project designed to help parents concerned about video games and technology: https://www.patreon.com/geekdadgamer

Black Panther Mar 02, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Arguably Marvel’s most globally significant movies to date comes roaring into the School of Movies, and have we got a show for you tonight.

We’re talking the stunningly beautiful and invigorating land of Wakanda, its fusion of African cultures, tradition and futurism, the royal family of heroes, the fascinating support cast, the transportive music, the detail and meaning packed into every onscreen element, and maybe the best Marvel villain yet, Eric Killmonger.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa

and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Spencer Leeb of The Death of Subtlety

Aquila Edwards @aquilaedwards

Eric Jones of Waxing Cinematic

Arlington can be found here: https://newcentury.bandcamp.com/album/new-century-arlington

Overwatch Feb 23, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

One of the greatest character lineups in a multiplayer video game ever assembled, Overwatch presents us with a rich and colourful feast of carefully, lovingly prepared treats.

We spent two and a half hours talking over the 26 current heroes, their backgrounds and design. That's our focus for the show, not playing the game itself or the mechanics.

This is a brand that's going to run and run and we suspect we'll be back here again at some point talking about a TV show or a movie or a different kind of game set in this world. We can't wait to see what Blizzard do.

Next Week: Black Panther

Guests

Jason "Chewie" Slate of The Mana Pool

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Game Developer Glen Watts

We Need to Talk About Anakin Feb 16, 2018

[School of Everything Else 2018]

A very special show where we go back to the Star Wars Prequels and ask ourselves one question; If these were in fact not poorly written films, if they were instead historical documents, then who is responsible, for the eventually tragic actions of Anakin Skywalker?

The easy answer is to say Anakin himself, and that we should all be ultimately held accountable for our behaviour, and that's absolutely valid, but there were others who misled him, ignored the danger signs and in fact encouraged some truly unhealthy ways of thinking. It was by no means only Palpatine doing so, he was simply the one to see an angry young man, willing to be used as a weapon.

In this serious look at a truly broken system we re-examine Lucas' Galactic Republic and perform a deep and disturbing psychological autopsy.

Mulan Jan 26, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Dan Floyd joins us once again as the Disney Project continues.

The house of Mouse picked themselves up from the financial low for the 90s that was Hercules, and came back punching with this Chinese legend of a girl who steals her father's armour to take his place in the army.

Still to this day one of the most beautiful and moving of their animated classics, Mulan had its detractors, and all of them had solid reasons to admonish story decisions. However, it is also beloved and inspirational, and the kind of movie that could be made today (with a few tweaks).

Jerry Goldsmith's soaring yet delicate score was fortunately in plentiful supply for this one.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories

Hercules Jan 19, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

Now we reach the point where Disney seemed off their game, at least in comparison with the lightning strikes of Mermaid, Beauty, Aladdin and Lion King. The fact that I really like Hercules is neither here nor their, this was a snarky yet earnest take on Greek mythology framed around an action sports movie for boys.

It had one of the most real-feeling and grown up of Disney heroine's so far, James Woods before he revealed himself to be a complete dick, Danny DeVito on top form as a washed up boxing coach and a quick-witted, slightly-too-energetic pace which a lot of people might consider off-putting.

It was also an ideal, basic model for the superhero movies that were around the corner, and in fact it's a better Superman story than any of Kal-El's movies that have followed so far, though Thor and then Wonder Woman far exceed its reach.

Since Alan Menken's lovely, lively score only spans a few minutes I have used other, tonally appropriate music for this one. Next week, Mulan.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Jan 12, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The year was 1996, just a few months ago Pixar had changed the face of cinema by introducing a whole new medium of 3D animated film, with Toy Story.

Disney followed up their lukewarm reception of Pocahontas with another middling-in-appreciation Broadway musical. The art is beautiful, the scale epic, the songs memorable.

The subject matter is a serious social commentary written by a man who fiercely disapproved of injustice, framed as a tragic, gothic romance, but in the all-singing, all-dancing Disney style, the jokes are witty banter mixed with fart noises made by a pig-like gargoyle (who may not have even been real) played by Jason Alexander from Seinfeld. The main villain is a judge, because executives weren't happy with him being a Catholic Priest, yet rogue animators deliberately confounded their demands and depicted him upon his knees, praying for forgiveness from Mary for the darkness inside him which he knew would imminently lead to murder, in one of the most spectacular song sequences in ANY movie. In short, it had a tone problem.

And with the help of Dan Floyd and Nama Chibitty, we dig into how this was pulled together and what the end result was. It's one hell of a ride.

We have covered all the Disney animated classics canon so far from Snow White up to The Lion King and they can be found of the "School of Movies Archive" which is a separate feed on iTunes or wherever else you find podcasts. Here's all the Disney ones.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories

Nama Chibitty

Pocahontas Jan 05, 2018

[School of Movies 2018]

The Disney shows return, Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits joins us once again to continue our trek through the past of the animation giant.

And we are in the middle of the 90s renaissance, their third period of creatively blossoming (Pre-War/Post-War/90s) and the first after the box office high point of The Lion King presented a bar almost impossible to reach. Even if it hadn't been culturally troubling, deliberately historically naive and melodramatic when the audiences wanted fun, Pocahontas was going to stumble.

It became the benchmark of what happens when Disney decide they have a hit on their hands before release (everybody thought this was going to be their Cinderella and Lion King was just going to be a muck-about with animals). And yet for its faults, which we will go into, it remains a beautiful, sweeping, bittersweet Hollywood romance of the kind it's very tough to pull off successfully, even today, *especially* today.

The music by Alan Menken is once again amazing, the voice acting is top notch, the animation might make you gasp, and it's probably the most Broadway musical-feeling of all the Disney canon, for better or worse.

We have covered all the Disney animated classics canon so far from Snow White up to The Lion King and they can be found of the "School of Movies Archive" which is a separate feed on iTunes or wherever else you find podcasts. Here's all the Disney ones.

Guests

Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories

Nama Chibitty

The Last Jedi Dec 22, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

The eighth Star wars episode comes roaring onto the big screen. It's upset quite a few fans and delighted many others already. It's the kind of movie that blindsides you the first time so it might be an idea to watch it again.

One thing is for sure, Star Wars will never be the same as it was before.

Full spoilers from the beginning, along with a serious think-piece about what this is saying to us.

[NOTE: The first 20 minutes of this show are my YouTube episode on The Last Jedi so if you'd like to see one of the best videos I've ever put together go there and skip to 21.00 on the podcast]

[A Positive Analysis] What Star Wars: the Last Jedi Means

Guests:

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse, both of Sequentially Yours

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Rogue One Dec 15, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

The most requested show of the year finally arrives. I'm going to bet the many different people asking for this had different reasons. Some might be hoping that we love it (we don't) a few might suspect that we hate it (we also don't) and some of you might not be able to put a finger on what felt a bit off about the movie (we might be able to shed some light on that).

What's clear though is that this one was liked and popular. Standing at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, this received some solid, critical praise, which means our issues with it put us in the minority, which we're fine with. Allow us to present you with a critiquing sandwich, whereby we start and finish focusing on all the things it does right, with a meaty helping of where it falls short in the middle.

There's also a scene we talk about where the whole movie collapses into grotesque absurdity (you might know the one already) and you won't be able to watch it with a straight face after hearing this. One thing's for sure, it will make you laugh more than Rogue One did (aside from everything K-2SO said, that robot was a treasure).

Guests

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Alex Eding, voice actor

Logan Dec 08, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This one took a lot out of us.

The tenth X-Men-related movie, and just like the other two really great instalments in this series (First Class and Deadpool) most of its strengths are augmented by only having tenuous ties to what came before.

Both a sobering goodbye to two of our established heroes and the actors inhabiting the roles, and an introduction to a little acting tornado who pulled off the performance of a lifetime right out of the gate, this film stands as testament to what a steady hand and a focus on character can achieve in a marketplace stuffed with citywide destruction and CGI final bosses without any personality… in fact it used the latter to make a statement on its central protagonist.

Logan is impressive, sparing, powerful and heartbreaking, and more than worthy in all kinds of nominations among the best of 2017.

Next Week: Rogue One.

Thor: Ragnarok Dec 01, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

We return to the Marvel Universe with a bang, and discuss in detail the themes of the third and (hopefully not) final Thor movie. We begin with a piece I wrote about why humour plays a key role in MCU films.

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse, both of Sequentially Yours

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Our $5 Patreon supporters can look forward to a bonus 75 minute Cutting Class podcast collecting the reams of deleted material from this episode, as well as a chat about the potential for Marvel-owned X-Men movies.

Justice League (2017) Nov 24, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

Comics featuring DC's Trinity gathering with various other brightly costumed heroes have been around since The Brave and Bold issue #28 in 1960 so this movie has been adrift for 57 years, waiting to be brought home, like Ellen Ripley.

With us are a gathering of keen, comic-hungry minds, ready to take a long hard look at what DC Warner have produced for the first ever big screen Justice League. The studio insisted we bring this show in at under two hours, so that's what we've done. They also recoloured us to make us more audience-friendly and digitally removed our various beards, swapping them out for cartoon mouths. But of course you won't see any of that.

Guests:

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa and

Debbie Morse, both of Sequentially Yours

Extra thanks to Laureta Sela who makes a cameo as Harley Quinn here.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Nov 17, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

After fifteen years on the big screen and five major movies the wall-crawler finally returns to the house of Marvel (whilst still being a Sony distributed venture this is clearly a Kevin Feige project).

And it's our favourite of the six.

Delivering a boatload of elements we haven't seen Peter interact with before whilst wisely swinging clear of things we've seen him do too much, this is a refinement of the Spidey formula that manages to feel fresh, smart and above all things, child-friendly.

Guests

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

A Series of Unfortunate Events Nov 10, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This is a discussion about the books, movie and Netflix series. We kept clear of any spoilers beyond Book 4: The Miserable Mill.

Sharon and I are big fans of all three versions, though the movie has suffered a barrage of disapproval from both readers and general audiences over the years and singularly failed to achieve continuation.

The show, however, has garnered pretty much universal praise. We talk about the differences in approach across all mediums.

Guests

Kaoru Negisa and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Tyler Pollock

Devin York

The Fifth Element Nov 03, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

One of my favourite movies of 1997, this crazed sci-fi space opera is something of a cult favourite. Never popular enough to be considered a classic, and clearly disliked by many people it is nonetheless beloved by its ardent fans, as well as being a consistently reference-quality example for home cinema enthusiasts.

This was a commissioned show from Marc Lucksch

Guest

Neil Taylor of TheKiddogg

Night, Dawn, Day & Land of the Dead Oct 27, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This show was recorded in the autumn of 2016 less than a year before George A. Romero passed away. A listener named Innes Clatworthy made a generous donation and I asked him if he'd like us to do a show as a thank you. He asked for one of the Romero zombie films. Never one to do things by halves we covered the first and best four.

I've already fielded questions as to why Survival and Diary aren't on this list but it boils down to three reasons; 1, the show is already 2h 45m long, 2, they don't really fit with the first four and 3, we don't like either of them one little bit, so we have nothing to say about them.

In fact quite a lot of this episode is about unseating the original Dawn of the Dead, from its throne of "Best Zombie Movie" and highlighting the qualities of Land and Day in particular.

That being said, what we know as a zombie in pop culture would be very different today were it not for at least the first two, astonishingly influential films (as well as some legal rights mumbo jumbo).

So get your machete's ready (chainsaws are heavy, noisy, fuel-dependent, and more likely to kill the wielder than a zombie) and let's start exploring the bleak, shuffling landscapes inhabited largely by the Living Dead.

Guests:

Kaoru Negisa & Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse

The Golden Compass/Northern Lights Oct 13, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This is part post-mortem on the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass and why it failed in such dismal fashion. It’s not terrible, just underachieving, bland, patronising and not really *about* anything.

Our show is also an exploration of the rich and weighty book by Philip Pullman, which is called Northern Lights in England. It is one of the most special pieces of literature to Sharon and I, we named our daughter after the lead protagonist and had been awaiting the movie with Harry Potter levels of excitement. So, you will have it outlined with pin-sharp clarity, how the makers of the movie abjectly refused to capture the spirit of the book, as we bring that unrealised world to life through examination.

You will encounter some amazing music, some stirring readings from the audiobook by Pullman himself and you will leave with a far clearer understanding of the pitfalls of bringing literature to the big screen.

This episode is released just before the new book set in Lyra’s world hits store shelves. It is called The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, and is naturally exciting fans. For those of you wishing to dig deeper, however, your first port of call should be to work your way through the original book, Northern Lights, and then move on to its follow-up; The Subtle Knife. It will never be a movie, but good lord is it a gripping read.

Guests

Iain Hopwood

Megan Hopwood

Bojack Horseman [Seasons 2, 3 & 4] Sep 29, 2017

[School of Everything Else 2017]

We delve deeper into the broken minds of this occasionally famous horse and his supporting cast of human beings and other animals.

Each season is covered in turn and we keep spoilers on later seasons for their section. But we strongly recommend you watch all four seasons and then listen. It is a HARD show to watch sometimes, and a lot of the gags and scenarios feel too real to laugh, but it's relentless, engaging, hilarious, sensitive and smart to a degree few other animated shows can match on a consistent basis.

Guests

Kaoru Negisa & Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Maya Santandrea of Hollywoo

IT: Chapter 1 Sep 22, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

The follow-up to our extensive discussion on the source novel and the 1990 miniseries, this is the show all about the 2017 movie.

The original show can be found on the School of Everything Else podcast feed

One of the most immediately and wildly successful horror films of all time, this has been one of the standout experiences of 2017. In the show we discuss why some people declassify it as horror, the many levels of applicability within the text to all kinds of social problems and just exactly why clowns scare the shit out of most people.

And we will be back in Derry as soon as the next movie (in what's likely to be an unexpectedly broad franchise) drops.

Guests:

Brendan Agnew of Cinapse

Kaoru Negisa and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

The Room Sep 15, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

At long last, after years of preparation, we bring you a truly epic three hour show all about one of the worst movies ever made.

It's an exercise in absurdity, as unprepared actors are thrown in front of a camera and made to chew out abysmal dialogue, wrestle with characters that make no sense, get stuck in loops of expressing the same, contrary thoughts out loud, and all to please the ringmaster, Mr Tommy Wiseau, an extraordinary man, and by all accounts a nightmare to work with.

There are the most appallingly awkward pauses, inexplicable games of football, and expressions that sound like they never came out of a human being before or since (or during). It's also compulsively quotable as a result.

It is operatic in its farcical mishandling of every aspect of filmmaking, and we are going to take you through each second of this feast of silliness, just in time for The Disaster Artist, a film about its troubled construction, starring James Franco and based on the hugely entertaining book by the long suffering Greg Sestero who plays Mark.

With us, we have Jason "Chewie" Slate, Aaron LaCluyze and Bill Bloodworth of Monday Night Magic and Random Discard.

Bojack Horseman [Season 1] Sep 08, 2017

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This is the first of several episodes on the fantastic Netflix animated show Bojack Horseman. Next week will be an episode on seasons 2 & 3 and at some point we will probably do season 4.

It starts off as a black adult comedy about show business and Hollywood and you could be forgiven for lumping it in with Family Guy, however, it quickly establishes itself as a drama about various deeply flawed, human characters.

Unlike Rick and Morty, though, the core of the existential dread isn't the bleakness of everything, but our desperation to be better, worthwhile people, even as we fail over and over.

It is so worth your time.

Joining us are our good friends Kaoru Negisa and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours, and genuine stunt actress Maya Santandrea, who brings her insight as to what the business of filming is frequently like.

Donnie Darko Aug 11, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

Prepare for a twisting, mind-bending journey into a tangent universe and back again as we tackle one of the most head-scratchy of cult films of the 2000s. Directed by Richard Kelly when he was only 26 years old and accompanied by an extensive website filled with extra reading to help you understand what goes on in the movie, this is still pretty difficulty to completely grasp, even if you've seen it. So we spend the first half of this show examining those explanations and the second half delving into the stronger, clearer elements like character, music and script.

This was a commissioned show by Jesse Ferguson, who wanted to like this movie, despite itself, and decided to have us make a case for it.

Next week; Book of Life.

Stranger Things [Season 1, Part 2] Jul 28, 2017

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This is our second of two episodes on Season 1 of Stranger Things.

We lost Alasdair Stuart for this one, but we gained a recomended friend of his, Guy Adams, author of Notes from the Upside Down - Inside the World of Stranger Things: An Unofficial Handbook to the Hit TV Series, now available in Hardcover and Kindle format and coming soon in Paperback.

The wonderful Laura Kate Dale of Let's Play Video Games and Podquisition guests again, along with Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours, accompanied now by her husband Kaoru Negisa.

For this second part we covered the following episodes.

4. The Body

5. The Flea and the Acrobat

6. The Monster

7. The Bathtub

8. The Upside Down

We'll be back with Laura next week with a show all about a video game you guys all need to mplay. You will require ten dollars and five hours, along with a Steam account. It is called To the Moon.

And finally my new website has launched and you can check it out at www.newcenturymultiverse.com whether you know nothing about the books or podcast and would like to, or if you're a fan looking to dig deeper, come along and don't forget to sign up for the mailing list.

Stranger Things [Season 1, Part 1] Jul 21, 2017

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This is our first of two episodes on Season 1 of Stranger Things.

One of our most requested topics, which ironically makes for a daunting prospect, because we have to cover something that means so much for so many people? We eventually relented when this was commissioned by Stephen Maxwell Lowe, Toby Jungius, Nick Grugin and Joel Robinson.

For this first part we cover the following episodes.

1. The Vanishing of Will Byers

2. The Weirdo on Maple Street

3. Holly Jolly

Our guests include Laura Kate Dale of Lets Play Video Games and Podquisition, Alasdair Stuart of Escape Artists and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours.

We'll be back next week for the remaining five episodes.

Gargoyles Jul 14, 2017

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This week, on commission from Nicholas Kosky and Joel Robinson, we cover the first season of the celebrated mid-90s animated series.

Released in 1994, just a little after we were getting into sit-coms like Friends and Frasier, this show somehow attained a cult following AND a 52-episode second season. Those two things don't happen together very often.

With us is longtime Gargoys aficionado Greg Bishansky to keep us in the know on all the background detail of the production.

Next week: Stranger Things

Wonder Woman Jun 09, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This is a big one, a DC movie that we not only don't hate, but actively love.
Wonder Woman is breaking all sorts of new ground and Gal Gadot looks set to be the next universally beloved big screen superhero, joining a fairly small group that includes Reeves as Superman, Maguire as Spider-Man, Downey Jnr. as Iron Man and Evans as Captain America.
To mark this occasion we assembled a dream team of Bob Chipman of Geek.com and Laura Kate Dale of letsplayvideogames.com
We spend two and a half hours discussing Diana's debut in solo form, highlighting the best aspects and touching on a few of the flaws. Largely though this is a celebration of a magnificent, empowering, inspiring experience.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 May 26, 2017

[School of Movies 2017] Back with Marvel for one of their best movies yet. We kick off with why this hit me like a freight train, right in the soul, and then move on to an extensive and tasty discussion about these wonderful characters, old and new. With us are Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse, Brendan Agnew of Cinapse.co and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst. This episode, like the movie, is very special.
We also kick off with a big announcement for not one but TWO brand new podcast feeds, which I've set up to make our back catalogue as accessible as possible to absolutely everyone.
So search your podcatcher app for
The School of Movies Archive: http://schoolofmoviesarchive.podbean.com/
and
The School of Everyone Else Archive: http://schoolofeverythingelsearchive.podbean.com/

The Lion King Feb 10, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This episode will be the deepest single Disney show we will ever do. It weighs in at just under four hours long, so I'd recommend absorbing it in two sessions, unless you have a long drive or a flight. But if you love the film you'll feel like you've died and gone to never-ending Lion Heaven!

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits joins us again to examine this magnificent beast of a film. Disney had taken a year off after Aladdin to develop their next two theatrical, animated projects, a sweeping Broadway musical melodrama, sure to go down in history as one of their greatest achievements (Pocahontas... it didn't) and a fun little movie about lions (which became known as one of their greatest achievements).

More than anything else, this movie made Bambi redundant for me. I never much gelled with the little dear, and while the death of his mother did have a shocking impact its repercussions were felt for all of 90 seconds. Lion King spends the rest of the movie either overtly avoiding confronting grief or stepping up to face it. The courageous subject matter, the beautiful animation, the majestic James Earl Jones, the amazing music and brilliant songs put this one at the highest peak for me.

This super special episode also includes the debut of the SteamHeart trailer.

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Aladdin Feb 03, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

This one was recorded immediately after the Beauty and the Beast show, so we are absolutely exhausted by the end. What you can't hear because I trimmed it out is all the times we lose our thread and forget the point we were making. The magic of audio editing.

As it is, with musical breaks and comedy clips, this is another superbly detailed show where we praise the animation and efforts that went into making this a truly unique Disney experience.

It was recorded one month before Robin Williams died, and 23 years after master songwriter Howard Ashman died, and it is a celebration of their amazing work.

Extra Credits: https://www.youtube.com/user/ExtraCreditz

Cane and Rinse: http://caneandrinse.com/

Support our shows on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Come listen to my audio drama series, New Century:http://newcenturyshow.podbean.com/

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Beauty and the Beast Jan 27, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

Get ready for a show of epic proportions, and a roller-coaster journey through the making of an absolute classic.

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse join us for a deep study into what made this work so well, and why it manages what so many of the previous films in the canon couldn't quite reach. Every aspect is discussed, from animation to music, to rejected ideas, to what makes Beast and Belle so endlessly appealing and what function the supporting cast serve.

This is either one to absorb in two sittings or a long evening spent watching the movie with the sound off at the same time... twice.

Support our shows on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Come listen to my audio drama series, New Century:http://newcenturyshow.podbean.com/

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

The Little Mermaid Jan 13, 2017

[School of Movies 2017]

We finally his the 90s third renaissance for Disney, and this kicks off a series of two hours plus shows of super detail and perspective on this era. Disney was under new management and after a string of mediocre successes and big failures now aimed to pull themselves out of the doldrums they had settled into following Walt's death. This entailed a storm of creativity with artists being ridden ruthlessly by cold-hearted businessmen. By all rights it shouldn't have produced such wonderful results... but it did.

The Little Mermaid is a story of a human girl born as a mermaid, who just never feels right down under the sea, looking up longingly at our world. The emotional arc of the movie is the barely-seen King Triton getting over his overprotective desire to see his child stay down aith her family, culminating in him letting her go for her own happiness.

Plus it has a Jamaican crab.

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Extra Histories joins us again and you will hear the music of Alan Menken and the late, but indescribably great Howard Ashman.

School of Movies is funded not by advertising, but by Patreon. It's you guys who keep this show going, help us pay our bills and buy more stuff to watch and talk about. So if you get a major kick out of these shows consider throwing a few dollars per month our way: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Episode 501 Sep 23, 2016

[School of Everything Else 2016] This is one of the films of the year. A Japanese fable delivered in stunning stop-motion by American studio LAIKA, the team behind Coraline, ParaNorman and Boxtrolls. Every single one of you needs to see it. Joining us are animation experts Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst. Among other things we discuss the climate for animated films and what it takes to make a hit, which this, tragically, despite its beautiful direction, tight, well-delivered script, vibrant, fun characters and playful yet heartrending score, is not. Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

The second collection of clips from my shows, this time covering the period between 2013 and 2016 when Sharon became my co-host, Digital Drift and School of Movies. They are pulled from fewer overall episodes but they are more meaty and substantial with some of the funniest, sustained moments and memories. You'll also hear from my guest spots from That Awful Sound and The Mana Pool along with a host of new voices.
And of course the now-infamous introduction of Dramatic Readings and Bad Reviews Against Humanity.
Volume 3: Digital Drift
Avatar Responses [DD49 2014 - 0.01.00]
The formation of Digital Drift [0.02.05]
50 Shades Trilogy Rant [DD06 - 0.06.25]
We Hate Movies [DD05 - 0.09.30]
Rhianna Pratchett [DD08 - 0.25.38]
Spider-Man 3 - Harry's Problem [DD12 - 0.32.18]
Transformers - Non-Dairy Dessert [DD32 - 0.36.01]
I've Been a Bad, Bad Angel [That Awful Sound #18 - 2015 - 0.37.36]
Volume 4: School of Movies
Robin Hood - Hysterical Inaccuracy [SOM143 2016 - 0.57.53]
Flight of Dragons - Racist Wizards [SOM145 - 1.05.21]
Terminator 3 - Joshua Rants [DD72 Mid-2015 - 1.11.02]
Deadpool - Colossus on Music [SOM146 - 1.24.06]
Making Fantasy Fun [Mana Pool #393 - 2015 - 1.27.11]
The New Century Multiverse 101 [1.35.58]
Jurassic Wrestling [DD68 - Mid 2015 - 1.47.54]
The Daddle [DD44 - Late 2014 - 1.56.32]
Crap Chinese Toys [DD48 - 1.59.50]
RobertCop 2 [School of Everything Else #88 - 2.09.35]
Grey [SOEE87 - Late 2015 - 2.14.17]
Credits [2.22.50]

Episode 500 Sep 16, 2016

[School of Everything Else 2016]

Alex's 500th Podcast.

I've been at this game for almost a decade and produced and hosted four media discussion shows, Digital Cowboys, Digital Gonzo, Digital Drift and School of Movies.
What we have here is a collection of highlights from the first few years. This celebratory episode ended up as two, simply because there was so much to choose from. So Episode 501 will be released next week. Consider them like Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2.
This is significant interviews, first meetings, moments of particular insight and of course the absolute funniest bits, many of which were suggested by you guys while I was putting this together.
Volume 1. Digital Cowboys

Another Day at the Office [Joinee Radio, Early 2007 - 0.01.22]
Curse of the Golden Flower [Digital Cowboys Episode 01 - 0.06.36]
An Important Announcement [DC48, 2008 - 0.08.58]
First Meeting With Daniel Floyd [DC10, 2009 - 0.12.13]
Red vs Blue Interview [DC126 - 0.15.24]
Giant Bomb Snackbox [DC104 - 0.19.40]
Jonathan Coulton Interview [DC121 - 0.22.23]
Dominik Diamond Interview [DC133 - 0.27.07]
The Wii - First Meeting With James Batchelor [DC130 - 0.32.51]
First Meeting With Neil Taylor [DC167, 2010 - 0.34.37]
Duke Nukem Kicked Out [DC180 - 0.35.18]
Legends of Zelda - Opening Montage [DC164 - 0.38.41]
Paul & Storm Interview [DC163 - 0.42.53]
Digital Cowboys - The Last One [DC109, 2011 - 0.49.10]

Volume 2: Digital Gonzo

New Solo Show [Digital Gonzo Episode 42, 2011 - 0.55.23]
Thor - Alex Doing Mr Plinkett Doing Thor [DG70, 2012 - 0059.44]
Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Cosmocats [DG33 - 1.02.20]
Back to the Future - Time Travel [DG19 - 1.05.00]
Fire [The Internet News - 1.09.42]
Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Coffee Commercials [DG39 - 1.13.06]
Movie Clichés - The Wilhelm Scream [DG34 - 1.15.43]
Schools [The Internet News - 1.17.44]
Blue Sun Audio Drama [DG35 - 1.22.25]
James Bond - The Henchman Agent #1 [DG43 - 1.29.30]
James Bond - Henchman Agent #2/Herr Stamper [DG45 - 1.33.51]
Firefly - The Henchman Agent #4 [DG106 - 1.33.52]
Batman Returns - The Henchman Agent #3/The Finale [DG77 - 1.36.51]
Alien - Shotgun Penis [DG74 - 1.41.36]
Alien Resurrection - Alien DNA/Executives [DG82 - 1.45.29]
Superman IV - Physics! [DG133, 2013 - 1.51.56]
Sound of Gonzo - Snowboarding Spy [DG102 - 1.57.00]
The Last Airbender - Exposition Scrolls [DG95 - 1.59.26]
Sound of Gonzo - Vice City/Dance Hall Deadlock [DG142 - 2.00.47]
Iron Man 3 Avengers in Advertising [DG154 - 2.02.51]
Return of the King - Lyra on LOTR [DG112 - 2.06.40]
The Two Towers - Gollum [DG111 - 2.07.36]
An Unexpected Journey - Gollum-Off [DG113 - 2.11.29]
Fan Response - First Meeting With Bob Chipman [DG149 - 2.12.25]
Pacific Rim - Signing Off [DG161 - 2.21.30]
Tower of the Sorcerer - "Can I Ride It?" [DG150 - 2.32.15]

The Hero's Journey Apr 15, 2016

[School of Everything Else 2016]

This show (which is one of the best individual podcasts we've ever put together) is all about The Hero's Journey. It explores the monomyth, the idea that nearly all of the tales that we embrace as a species are telling the same story.
Carl Jung theorized with the collective unconscious that our brains are all roughly the same shaped organ, with very similar emotional responses which have remained very similar for thousands of years, so it stands to reason that there would be certain universally appealing themes that we like to explore time and again.
Joseph Campbell codified this in the 1940s by examining our mythology, dating back to ancient times and analyzing recurring patterns in the most abiding stories from all over the world when he put together his seminal work; The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This includes a multi-part symbolic series of events a hero always seems to go through in some form or another and what that really means.
Christopher Vogler took this further with his book The Writer's Journey, examining the most popular and successful movies and the similarities therein.
And we ourselves have produced literally hundreds of podcasts covering our favourite movies, the greater proportion of which this manner of thinking can be applied to.
So it's time to take a deep dive into what those steps are and why they are so important to our species.
Joining us are Megan Hopwood and Lorin Grieve, both of whom have also taken a longtime interest in this.
You're in for a treat here.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Apr 08, 2016

[School of Movies 2016]

We start off with my initial thoughts on coming back from the cinema. The first 16 minutes is relatively spoiler-free and Sharon asks me the following questions. Then we get to the rotten meat of the whole bloody affair. Then there’s a considerably more positive ten minute piece from Eric Jones Then we hit the main event and Bob Chipman joins myself, Sharon Shaw and Jerome McIntosh to discuss the film in a more meta context, including what DC Warner’s options are, moving forward.
00.00.30: First Impressions
00.40.00: A More Positive Response
00.56.00: The Main Event

Sucker Punch Mar 11, 2016

[School of Movies 2016]

In the run-up to Batman V Superman, let's take a dive into the mind of director Zack Snyder. Let's look at how he sees the world, how he sees the human psyche and how he sees women.

Prepare for a furious battle of wills as Alex goes in guns blazing to take apart a film he never wants to talk about again, and Lorin Grieve of A Year of Steam defends the movie he loves. Sharon lies somewhere in the middle, but there's a hell of a lot about this that bothers her too. Get some interpretations that the filmmakers definitely didn't consider, and learn how very vague their feelings are on what this story is actually about. Is this a determined feminist text or something far more clumsy and unintentional? The evidence gets presented in and epic disassembling that hopefully will leave your minds clearer.

Guest:

Victoria Grieve @VixenVVitch

The Force Awakens Dec 21, 2015

[School of Movies 2015]

Part 1: A film so important and so passionately adored by us that we needed two shows and two groups of guests to fully cover, welcome to part 1 of our Force Awakens show. With us for this first outing in which we discuss Rey, Finn, Ren, Han, Huxx, Snoke and the hugely positive side of this effectively being a retelling of the events of A New Hope.

Part 2: The second installment in our epic Force Awakens show brings in three new voices and a Star Destroyer-full of speculation. We move onto the characters we have not yet covered, as well as talking details and theorizing wildly about later movies in this series as well as talking about how the landscape of Star Wars in cinema has now changed forever.

If you love these shows support their production on patreon. Guests: Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst James Carter of Cane and Rinse Parris Lilly of Film Tangent James Batchelor of the Bond and Beyond Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Games

Mad Max: Fury Road Jun 10, 2015

[Digital Drift 2015]

We had planned to release The Lost World this week but Mad Max: Fury Road appeared out of nowhere and turned out to be rather special. So we broke suddenly, veered off the road, picked up a couple of passengers and thundered into an epic analysis review.

We begin with a 45 minute discussion of the original Mad Max trilogy, all of which contain elements that found their way into this new incarnation. You can listen to that without spoiling the new movie, but then go see it and come back for the next act.

I lay down my thoughts on the meta-story that developed upon its release, specifically it’s detractors and the symbolism that layers on as a result. After that we talk long and hard about every aspect of this astonishing and deeply surprising new blockbuster. Surprising both in how the story develops and its sheer quality and fulfilled ambition. This is a film we want absolutely everyone to see.

If you love these shows support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexandershaw

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

The Great Mouse Detective / Oliver & Company Jan 24, 2015

[School of Movies 2016]

We're back on the Disney shows with Daniel Floyd, this time on the cusp of the 90s renaissance. This episode delves lightly into two of the last examples of their Dog/Cat/Mouse fetishism that defined the post-Walt wilderness years.

The Great Mouse Detective, originally named Basil of Baker Street (from the novel) is Sherlock Holmes with rodents. Oliver is the Twisty Dickens tale with a cat and a bunch of dogs in a painfully late 80s New York, presided over by prostitute-hating mayor Rudy Giuliani. We never see him in the film, but he's there all the same, along with his derision for people of colour and the impoverished, which fits rather well into the Victorian principles of the source novel.

This show was actually recorded several years ago and I apologise for my frequent interruptions of Dan and Sharon. I knew better than that back then and I have no excuse. I'll simply try my level best to let them speak without butting in as we record the next Disney shows.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh / Rescuers / Fox & Hound / Black Cauldron Jan 23, 2015

[School of Movies 2016]

Continuing our Disney podcasts with Daniel Floyd of Extra Histories, this one covers the fifteen year period between 1970 and 1985.

It was a dark and odd time for the once great animation studio. Their mentor and namesake had fallen and they were carrying on without him, or the acclaim that went with the bold and beautiful films of their golden years.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh theatrically released a package of three animated shorts. The Rescuers had a budget so low it barely had to sell any tickets to succeed commercially. The Fox and the Hound swung in the other direction, piling on the budget, only to receive middling critical and box-office response.

And as the company reformed in the early 1980s, having lost a dozen animators in a crippling walkout, the decision was made to throw untold amounts of money into a project that is now barely mentioned in the hallways of the House of Mouse, principally because the Black Cauldron only made half of that money back.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Disney's Robin Hood Jan 22, 2015

[School of Movies 2016]

Robin Hood (1973) is 83 minutes of amusing shenanigans. It's twee, minimally dramatic, fun and light with lovable simple characters. It did not restore Disney to the heights of Snow White and Cinderella popularity it had previously reached.

Originally we recorded a paltry ten minute chat about Disney's Robin Hood during our sessions with Daniel Floyd, because there really wasn't much to talk about aside from it being a pleasant experience. We decided to add to this with an in-depth discussion about the impact of this movie on a community that's been going far longer than any of us have been alive; the furries.

Since Sharon and I are not experts in this matter we brought in the ever-foxy Victoria Luna B. Grieve to explain how these folks tick in different ways, what media they love and some of the history, whilst dispelling a few prejudices along the way.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Victoria Luna B. Grieve: @VixenVVitch

101 Dalmatians / Sword in the Stone / Jungle Book / Aristocats Jan 21, 2015

[School of Movies 2016]

The Disney shows return. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits is back to talk us through the difficult 1960s period for Walt Disney Studios.
*101 Dalmatians
*The Sword in the Stone
*The Jungle Book
*The Aristocats
Animation was changing, cinema was being influenced by television and for some reason people really liked British writers. In this show we'll talk about where Disney went after their expensive Sleeping Beauty project failed to hit Snow White status, and the aftermath of Walt's passing.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Cinderella / Alice in Wonderland / Peter Pan / Lady and the Tramp / Sleeping Beauty Jan 20, 2015

[School of Movies 2015]

The much-needed success of Cinderella cemented Disney as more than just a one-hit wonder. Following this we delve into the absurd ramblings of Lewis Carol to talk about Alice in Wonderland. According to the Disney of the early 1950s royals will chase you down on black horses in the middle of the night, base the future of their family upon footwear, play croquet with live animals, hold complex legal disputes over jam tarts and cut your head off for the slightest offense. Either way don’t go anywhere near Buckingham palace.

Then we move onto the uncomfortably racist peter Pan, before Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty. These were the last gasps for ink and paint animation. If you look at the lustrous colours and brush strokes you will see a distinct difference from the more pencilled xerox process that ran from 101 Dalmatians all the way up to The Little Mermaid. It's a charming little story about a dog that gets ignored over a new baby and falls in with a vagrant, and a beautiful girl who sings to owls, says 18 lines and then falls asleep causing the social and economic upheaval of an entire kingdom. But delve deeper and the America portrayed in Lady is a very personal idealized one to Walt himself, and Sleeping Beauty was an immense risk tied up in the making of the parks that was one of the most successful movies of the year, yet still failed to meet its expectations.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Dumbo / Bambi / Disney's Wartime Films Jan 19, 2015

[School of Movies 2015]

The Disney series continues with two cute animal pictures with unfortunate mother figures. One gets locked up and deemed insane, the other gets shot dead by the most terrifying monster of all. Both of these moments have a profound effect on what we take away from the viewing experience.

The third sections covers the period between 1942 and 1949 when, due to World War II the studio held off on major animated features and instead focused on cheaply produced package films designed to foster relations with South America and keep their struggling animation house afloat.

It’s an odd bunch, comprising Saludos Amigos, The Three Cabelleros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time and The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr Toad. Virtually none of these are remembered or cherished and on listening to this episode you’ll understand why. Daniel Floyd shoulders the majority of the appraisal this time.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Snow White / Pinocchio / Fantasia Jan 18, 2015

This is the first of a series of podcasts covering the full history of Disney’s animated classics. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits is with us every step of the way.

It is without question that animated cinematic features throughout the 20th Century were defined by this company. Learn more about the studio, the animators and how the animation techniques changed with the time, as well as what the world was doing when each film was released. Also find out which films we love, which ones we don’t and more importantly, why.

Since this is an unabashed analysis that pulls no punches, bad language is used but it is bleeped for the benefit of children.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of New Frame Plus

Fantastic 4 / Ghost Rider / Punisher Jan 17, 2015

[Digital Drift 2015]

We finally come to the dregs of the Marvel cinematic outings. After this it's things like the Hasselhoff Nick Fury, the early Captain Americas and Swamp Thing which barely qualify as movies.

With the new Fant4stic movie emerging onto the big screen we took a look back on the 2005 version and its 2007 sequel. Were they really all that bad? More to the point, taking the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman version into account, were ALL Fantastic Four movies simply an exercise in keeping the license going rather than in making a superhero family movie that people will love?

After that it's the dregs of the Marvel adaptations. One or two of them have redeemingly fun qualities, but they collectively illustrate how the other studios had NO IDEA what they could do with these worlds and characters.

* Fantastic Four (2005): A pedestrian director wastes Chris Evans.
* Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) The same guy stumbles through Jack Kirby lore.
* Ghost Rider (2007): Nick Cage as eccentric fusion of Spawn and The Mask on a motorbike.
* Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011): Cage sleepwalks in pursuit of Antichrist. Filmed in a quarry.
* The Punisher (2004): Thomas Jane plays urban Machiavelli. Travolta never stops being furious.
* Punisher: War Zone (2008): Ray Stevenson is miserable. Many men are punished.
* Elektra: (2005) Jennifer Garner stares at lake Tahoe for 90 minutes. Also occasional ninjas.

Terminator Salvation & Genisys Jan 15, 2015

[Digital Drift 2015]

The Terminator series reboots again (kind of), delivering a dark, desaturated, dusty, miserable, angry, shouty future war of dirty humans vs Deceptions! Christian Bale stars as John Connor, bringing with him all the furious, savage, grumpy intensity he is capable of. Not satisfied with one gravely, shaven-headed Johnny Template this movie brings us two with Sam Worthington playing Marcus Wright, the mysterious wanderer with a secret identity… unless you’ve seen the trailer, in which case it’s a pre-established identity we spend an ice age waiting for everyone in the movie to catch up with. That should sound familiar by now if you’re a Terminator fan.

Genisys by contrast is not quite as bad as T3 and Salvation, in fact there were one or two bits I rather liked. It’s more reverent than the third movie, more playful and less boring than the fourth. The writers clearly seem to be able to understand time travel a smidgen more than the other guys. But it's still bad, and almost certainly ensured that Dark Fate was criminally ignored. The promise of Schwarzenegger's return had already been fulfilled, poorly, and it seems like even Linda Hamilton wasn't enough to draw the crowds. That means this fifth movie might have been the magic bullet that finally killed The Terminator.

The Fast and the Furious 1 - 4 Jan 02, 2015

[Digital Drift 2015]

We’re joined by Neil Taylor of GameBurst to get to grips with one of his very favourite series. When we recorded this first show we hadn’t yet seen 5 or 6 (Sharon hadn’t seen 3 or 4 either) so it’s something of a discovery process for us. Find out over the course of the next few episodes if we’re just middling on the car porn, jiggling auto-floozies and machismo-masking-vulnerability or in fact if we end up flippin’ LOVING The Fast and the Furious.

Continuing our road trip through the F&F series, we get to the detour away from the main cast that was initially shunned by audiences but in retrospect is rather great as a stand-alone movie. We move on to the return to the main cast that was initially embraced by audiences but in retrospect is dour and uneventful. Find out what drifting REALLY means.

Guest:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

The Twilight Saga Jan 01, 2015

[Digital Drift 2015]

Sharon and I dived in attempting to review these in a vacuum. Those who hate the movies may hate this podcast because we’re rather kind and enthusiastic. Those that love them will hate this podcast because we call them on the rubbish, the weaker elements and the more troubling aspects (especially in the two-part finale of Breaking Dawn).

Two things are for sure. 1. This is not a great model for any kind of romantic relationship. 2. That dingo's got your baby!

Transformers: Age of Extinction & The Last Knight Jan 22, 2014

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: The Transformers road trip has lost all but one lone, solitary truck, powering on through a new leg of what may be a never-ending journey. Yes folks, I did end up going to see Transformers 4, and on this show, Sharon asks me all about my experience. Is this a new lease of life for the series? A soft reboot, ditching the former human cast members in favour of all-new ones and setting aside awkward frat comedy for the dilemma of a struggling family. [Sounds great.] Still written by Ehren Kruger and now starring Mark Wahlberg [Oh Jesus Christ!]. The autobots are now a hunted, endangered species, thanks to their heroic genocide of their own people in the last movie, done in the name of protecting us humans, with our interminable capacity for greatness. Plus it has the dinobots [No it doesn’t]. And Optimus is seriously suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [Nobody ever mentions it]. Is this better or worse than the first three? Find out right now.

I do something with Michael Bay halfway through that will surprise you.

1h 38m: Several years later, I came back to talk about Bay's dismal fifth instalment, which actually on reflection is probably the best. Certainly the least gross and toxic. I don't have a stupidometer though, and it would bury teh needle five times anyway. Years later we would get the ray of sunshine that was Bumblebee. Definitely make sure you listen to that show.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen & Dark of the Moon Jan 21, 2014

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: Our road trip with the autobots continues. We hit a bumpy road as the writer’s strike of 2007 looms. Fortunately this movie proved that you apparently don’t even NEED writers and that a triple-A blockbuster action movie could be sloppily thrown together without discernible structure or coherence and still rake in more than its predecessor. Just cast your eyes over the image I’ve used for this week’s podcast. Ask yourself “A: What the hell were they thinking? and B: Why did everybody let them get away with it?” And that character and his brother are just two of the issues that slaughter any enjoyment and engagement you might have felt. This is not a movie for watching, it’s a movie for laying down and avoiding. It’s a terrible experience from beginning to end. Even fans of the original tend to dislike this one. However we’re out to establish WHY it’s so awful.

1h 4m: Our road trip with the autobots veers off the beaten track and onto a superhighway full of exploding guns and alien car invasion. In a series defined by its crapulence this may actually be its lowest point. Billed by some as a return to form on its release in 2011, which prompted the question from others; “What form?” and from still others “What form will our destructor take?” We’ll tell you what form in this very podcast. If we sounded like we were in pain on the last episode we can assure you it was just the preliminary wave of agony. This one actually made my heart hurt as well as my brain.

As for plot? The moon landing in 1969 was in fact a secret plot to find a thing and… weird, CGI Kennedy face. I can’t even carry on beyond that first minute. Spock is in this. A robot Spock. A robot Spock that actually manageress to defile and spin on its axis one of the greatest lines and greatest sentiments of one of the greatest sci fi movements of all time. Optimus is not only laid low in this, he is in fact unwittingly depicted as John Rambo in First Blood, only in a context far closer to Rambo III. His obvious post-traumatic stress disorder sidelined and ignored in favour of robot carnage and the American flag. A violent juxtaposition of lost themes and soulless jingoism. It would be churlish to call this film “Evil”, it would also fall somewhat short of the mark in describing what a blight upon the world it is.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

Mike Hearn of Walter the Wicked

Planet of the Apes 1- 5 Jan 14, 2014

[Digital Drift 2014]

1968: Planet of the Apes
1970: Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1971: Escape from the Planet of the Apes
1972: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1973: Battle for the Planet of the Apes

For newcomers to the series, all eight movies of which will be reviewed over the coming weeks here is a brief breakdown of events.

1. Universe A: The first five Planet of the Apes movies spanning the period between 1968 and 1973. Planet of the Apes / Beneath the Planet of the Apes / Escape from the Planet of the Apes / Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. You can also include the short-lived live action TV show, comics and animated series in this period (although we won’t be reviewing these that doesn’t mean you guys can’t talk about them at length on the forum).

2. Universe B: The 2001 Tim Burton directed re-imagining of the original movie.

3. Universe C: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. This originally started out as both a reboot and an alternate prequel to the original movie (as well as loose remakes of Conquest and Battle for the Planet of the Apes) but has now clearly branched into its own universe where events played out differently to the history laid down in the initial quintet of movies.

For these first ones send your mind back in time to the late sixties to a time when men were men, teenagers were hippies, war was a very immediate topic, women were saying scary things about equality and civil rights were being challenged left, right and center. We were experimental in our approach, having only ever seen the first of the original five before and reviewing each movie in turn after viewing for the first time. That way you get our immediate reactions. We pull no punches and judge the film as far as it holds up today, before moving onto its grotty, rushed and unintentionally hilarious sequel.

Escape turned out to be a 70s flavoured political thriller, not unlike a small scale Winter Soldier which we watched around the same time. It also had the most heart of the five. Conquest is a film that Rise ended up being patterned after, with a harsh undercurrent of slavery and revolution at its core and a hastily rewritten ending. Then the series went from a place of strength to wobbly, embarrassing, confused, and laughably mismanaged as it farted out of existence with Battle for the Planet of the Apes, which bears the unmistakable signs of the crazy mutants of the rushed second movie; Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall remain the standout stars of these three and what they manage with the basic ape masks is genuinely impressive. Hopefully our disgust at Battle won’t dissuade some of you from digging into Ape history with the others.

X-Men: The Last Stand & X-Men Origins: Wolverine Jan 10, 2014

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: This is the worst. The very worst onscreen incarnation of the X-Men, and not simply because it screwed up the Dark Phoenix saga in a way that will take many years to remedy. It is in point of fact abundantly clear on investigation that meddling Fox executives combined with a creative team who seemingly didn’t care what occurred onscreen or what state they left the series in once the enforced release date was reached created the perfect Storm to send a potentially accomplished franchise hurtling into the doldrums. It’s one of the few movies that actively required erasing from existence to correct the horrendousness that it entailed. But allow us to elaborate on these points. We promise that even if you disagree with our impassioned rantings that you’ll be entertained.

1h 13m: I never thought I’d find myself defending this film. In actuality we’re not, we’re just saying it’s not the worst X-Men movie and stating the few reasons why it’s not entirely awful. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a stinker nonetheless. Tedious action, lame mutants, barely characterized beyond their powers (again), CGI claws that never fail to distract, stupid script riven with plot holes, ruined fan favourites Deadpool and Gambit, balsa wood performances and most of the cast seem like they’re having a thoroughly terrible time. Worst of all this mishandled not one but two key Wolverine stories. Weapon X and Origin, in a way that means there’s no point attempting them again, so sour will the taste of this remain. It very nearly killed the already flat-lining X-Men series. But we’re the best we are at what we do and what we do ain’t pretty, so we also highlight the few stronger points that make it not quite as complete a failure as everyone remembers. The pinpricks of light in the darkness. Enjoy… Bub.

X-Men & X2: Mutants United Jan 09, 2014

[Digital Drift 2014]

0m: Looking back on the 2000 original it is both extremely important in legitimising the real life comic superhero movie for modern times and increasingly a relic of a bygone age when this sort of thing was considered a flaky risk and where low budgets, self-conscious cast members, dismal costumes, short running times and pedestrian action sequences were acceptable. That being said there are also some excellent performances within, especially Stewart, McKellen and the breakout star, Huge Action. Had this been a mishandled flop, the course of the Marvel movie might have been very different. Then again, Spider-Man was already in production and it’s possible a reboot would have changed the course of the X-Men in movies, one that has instead sailed on for fourteen years and off into the future.

2h: This is one of the all-time fan-favourite X-Men films, following up on the promise of the slight original with far more detail, exciting action, grander scale and emotional wallop. We give it a ton of credit for its strong points which expand the world and further legitimizes the mutant conflict. However this movie also contains two of the most series-breaking scenarios at its climax. Everybody was having too much fun at the cinema to notice at the time and nobody ever mentions this, but we’re going to… X2 pretty much destroys the characters of both Charles and Erik in a way that is only remedied in First Class eight years later. Overall it’s still a very strong entry in the series and far above the dregs of The Last Stand and Origins, but there are character and narrative inconsistencies that need to be taken into account.

Fan Response Sep 26, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This episode, originally published in September 2013 I invited on Bob Chipman, AKA MovieBob along with Daniel Floyd and Leelee Scalaferri of Extra Credits to talk about the age old scenario of fans flipping their lids when something they love is perceived as being meddled with. With the ascent of Twitter and Facebook, forums, comments sections and YouTube we have more opportunities than ever before to voice our discontent, and voice it we have in ways often so hostile and illegible that some sections of the internet appear to be transcripts of the death-screeching of broken killer robots with electronic Tourette's syndrome.

Among other specific instances we cover Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist frequency, The Xbox One, Batfleck, Phil Fish, Grand Theft Auto V, Devil May Cry, Mass Effect 3, Green Lantern, The Star Wars Special Editions and Fifty Shades of Grey. The aim was not to be wholly objective and detached and there is a lot of opinion being flung back and forth during this crackling debate with four vibrant personalities all vying for the mic, but we do try our best to be fair.

To illustrate the many facets of this immense debate I have employed audio segments from some of the best and brightest.

With Great Power [Bob Chipman: The Big Picture]
Crass Effect [Bob Chimpan: Game Overthinker]
Rebecca Black [Charlie Brooker: 10 O’ Clock Live]
Anita Sarkeesian: The Monster Gamers Created [Jim Sterling: Jimquisition]
Harassment [Daniel Floyd & James Portnow: Extra Credits]
GTA V Review Revulsion [Johnny Chiodini: GameSpot - Feedbackula]
Guide to Comments [Vi Hart]
A Day at the Park [Kiriakakis: Mused]

Bob, Dan and Leelee have made hundreds of video presentations between them and their recommendations if you're newcomers are the following.

Extra Credits [Of Penny Arcade TV]

Call of Juarez: The Cartel
A Little Bit of Yesterday
Art is not the Opposite of Fun

Moviebob

The Big Picture - Skin Game
Game Overthinker - Never Grow Old

Music on the show played by Lindsey Stirling

Crystallize
Elements
Electric Daisy Violin

Of course there wasn't time to discuss a bunch of well known examples, including the Derpy Hooves debacle but we do want this show to spark debate on ways for the more considerate side of the internet to gain more of a vocal share of the general discussion, which often seems to be dominated by the enraged and abusive.

Batman: The Killing Joke [Audio Drama] Jul 17, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is an audio drama adaptation of The Killing Joke: written by Alan Moore, and originally illustrated by Brian Bolland for DC comics in 1988.

This show is dedicated to Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, two of my all-time heroes. Their inspirational work is a key reason why I love Batman so much, and their immense talent as voice-over artists is what made me want to produce performance pieces like this. All credit to Alan Moore for his excellent writing. The few minor changes I made were to facilitate the audio format. Also artist Brian Bolland.

If you enjoyed this, do please check out Batman: Breakdown, which is an original story written by myself and rendered into an accompanying audio drama. You can find it on this podcast feed or on YouTube. As a bonus for newcomers I've included the first six minutes of Breakdown to act as a taster at the close of this production.

If you like my work on this you should check out my original audio drama, The New Century Multiverse, the previous stories are available in audiobook form on Bandcamp with new episodes released as a weekly podcast.

A huge thank you to my cast, without whom, this would be a considerably less vibrant production.

Cast (in order of appearance)

JOKER/JACK – Alex Shaw
KILLER CROC/TWO-FACE – Alex Shaw
BATMAN – Alex Shaw
FRIGHTENED INMATE #2 – Matt Whetter
JIM GORDON – Matt Ramsey
GUARD BILL – Jerome McIntosh
BOB BONUS – Daniel Floyd
JEANNIE – Sharon Shaw
BATCOMPUTER – Tara Nelson
ALFRED PENNYWORTH – Matt Ramsey
BARBARA GORDON – Laureta Sela
GANGSTER JOE – Lorin Grieve
GANGSTER JAKE – Alex Spencer
DOCTOR – Joshua Garrity
HARVEY BULLOCK – Daniel Floyd
CIRCUS FREAKS – Matt Whetter
DETECTIVE MOORE – James Batchelor
OFICER BOLLAND – Nama Chibitty
DON SENIOR – Matt Whetter
ROB SENIOR – Andres Rodriguez
GAMBOL – Aquila Edwards
OSWALD COBBLEPOT – Matt Whetter
STREET GIRL – Sharon Shaw
SECURITY GUARD JUDD – James Batchelor
SECURITY GUARD MURPHEY – Nama Chibitty
CREDITS - Giles Thomas

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Mar 07, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

In the 80’s while all the boys were watching Transformers and obligingly buying the toys Hasbro were also targeting girls with a similarly multimedia manipulative marketing campaign to sell them pretty, plastic ponies.

Twenty five years and three terrible Michael Bay movies later and the boys, now grown up are feeling pretty dismal about the once awesome mythos they loved. However after many years of quiet My Little Pony resurfaced in 2010 and to the surprise of everyone turned out to be not bad at all. Really rather great in fact. Well written with lovable characters and amusing dialogue.

In an unusual turn of events it picked up a following of male viewers. Dubbed ‘Bronies’ these men, young and old have a tough battle trying to make their case for why they aren’t twisted child molesters. This podcast is about the show, the fans and why it’s become beloved. My remit is to examine it with varying levels of perspective and delve in rather than making fun of it as outsiders or being overly defensive fanboys.

My two specialists are Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Connor Milford, Zephyr Lite in the Gonzo community. It’s very much a podcast aimed at people who know nothing about Friendship is Magic so if you’re curious, this is the Pony investigation for you.

Mass Effect 3 Feb 16, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This was the most requested Gonzo show in history. For a project of this magnitude we needed a Dynamic Analysis, so the first hour is a collection of audio articles. The second half focuses on the rest of it. There are definitely still issues with combat and structure that affect the gameplay experience regardless of how you felt about its close, but there is also a deep and rich adventure to be had finding everyone and everything in the last hours before the galaxy takes on the Reapers. There were so many people who wanted to talk about this game that I couldn't not confine them to a single, epic round-table, so instead we have three.

Appropriately you'll meet many old faces and some new. Everyone has something to say. At the close we spend a good 48 minutes talking about the Citadel DLC with full plot spoilers for that as well as Leviathan and Omega. Everyone present agreed that Citadel was downright essential if you love the characters of Mass Effect so if nothing else, play that before you listen to the last third of this show.

Introduction
FilmCritHulk: A Few Words on the Ending of Mass Effect 3 [Read by Alex Shaw] (0.00.50)
Sharon Shaw: The Third Choice (0.21.37)
J.C. Hutchins: Blood on My Hands: My Failure and Redemption in Mass Effect(0.30.50)
Leelee Scaldaferri: The Center of the Universe (0.53.07)
Alex Shaw: On Taking Back Earth (1.03.00)

Round Table 1: Margeurite Kenner & Alasdair Stuart (1.05.44)
Alex Shaw: Some Statistics (1.40.30)
Round Table 2: Neil Taylor, Jerome McIntosh & James Perkins (1.44.25)
Round Table 3: Matt Ramsey, Leelee Scaldaferri & Sharon Shaw (2.21.38)
The Idea Channel: Will Space Travel Save Us? (3.07.00)
Alex Shaw: Shepard Effects (3.15.16)
Citadel (3.21.40)

Margeurite can be found on Cast of Wonders, Leelee is the artist for Extra Credits. You'll also hear a segment from The Idea Channel which is available on YouTube and something I sincerely suggest you each spend a few hours delving into. Some incredible, funny, lightly delivered, deeply considered six-minute lectures on there. Kind of like TED Talks but with more visual flair and packed to the gills with blink-and-you'll-miss-it geeky references. It's been a great ride on the Normandy. I hope some day soon we can come back and re-enter this universe which has played host to some of our favourite games of all time.

The Sound of Gonzo: Vol 5 [The Star Wars Trilogy] Jan 17, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

Vol. 5 – James Batchelor [Star Wars]

VI: Fox Fanfare & Main Titles/Blockade Runner
IV: Imperial Attack
IV: The Dune Sea/The Jawa Sandcrawler
IV: Cantina Band
IV: Princess Leia's Theme
IV: TIE Fighter Attack
V: The Battle of Hoth - Part 1
V: The Asteroid Field
V: Yoda's Theme
V: The Clash of Lightsabers
VI: Approaching the Death Star
VI: The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault
VI: Luke and Leia
VI: Emperor's Throne Room
VI: Leia's News/Light of the Force
IV: Throne Room and End Credits

This episode has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2013.

The Sound of Gonzo: Vol. 4 [Lord of the Rings] Jan 10, 2013

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

Vol. 4 - Chris Eason & Sharon Shaw [LOTR]

One Ring to Rule them All/The Shire/The Road Goes Ever On
Strider/Beren and Luthien
The Great Eye/The Fellowship
Gilraen’s Memorial/The Ring Goes South
Moria/The Bridge of Khazad Dum
The Departure of Boromir
Theoden King/The Funeral of Theodred
Sons of the Steward
The Host of the Eldar
Haldir’s Lament/Retreat
Theoden Rides Forth/The White Rider/Nature’s Reclamation
Eowyn’s Dream
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields
A Far Green Country
The Last Debate
Mount Doom/The Crack of Doom/The Eagles
Use Well the Days
Bilbo’s Song

This very special episode of The Sound of Gonzo has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2012.

The Return of the King Dec 13, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The board is set, the pieces are moving and the final battle for Middle-earth begins. In this episode we discuss the thankless task of expertly performing Denathor, Arwen’s ultimate decision and some of the shakier moments in the trilogy. This final film was the product of an insane amount of high pressure, respite-free work for Weta and it is testament to their brilliance that this still became the box-office triumph of the series.

By far the most emotionally draining of all the podcasts in this series and maybe the most complicated editing process for a film podcast that I’ve undertaken. There were several occasions where I fell apart and had to pick myself up again here. The most epic battle of all time concludes and the ring-bearer reaches Mount Doom. I can only hope that myself and my team did these films an iota of the true depth of discussion they deserve.

With Sharon and I at the end of all things are Chris Eason of GameBurst and Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet. This is the last of the Lord of the Rings movie reviews but not the final podcast. We still have an Unexpected Journey to discuss as a new trilogy begins, followed soon after by a sound of Gonzo episode devoted to the wonderful scores by Howard Shore.

Guests:

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

The Two Towers Dec 01, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The middle of a trilogy is always going to be a tall order. You can’t start and you can’t stop. What you’re delivering is an *episode* and the best you can hope for is some great characterisation and memorable events, broadening the scope of the world you’ve already introduced. The Two Towers, especially in its extended cut manages this and more.

Things get tense as the battle for Helm’s Deep begins. Merry and Pippin try their best to motivate the most boring creatures on Middle-earth and Frodo meets a character given entirely new depth and purpose by the film series. We learn about Theoden’s complex relationship with both shame and pride, and what moment really pushed Smeagol over the edge, never to return from the powerful grip of Gollum.

Guests:

Chris Eason of GameBurst

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

The Fellowship of the Ring Nov 17, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

The Lord of the Rings begins in earnest. Starting with an epic retelling of Middle-earth history we set out to balance the attention to detail of major fandom with critical analysis, discussions on character development and notable aspects of the production. Setting out from the Shire, this episode will take you all the way to Rivendell meeting Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Saruman, Strider, Elrond and Arwen along the way. The operatic scoring of Howard Shaw remains an emotional touchstone throughout.

Then the Ring goes south, over and under the Misty Mountains culminating at Amon Hen where the Fellowship is broken from within. Character discussions include Boromir and Galadriel and the epic confrontation with shadow and flame.

Guest

Chris Eason of GameBurst

The Lord of the Rings Prologue Nov 16, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

A lengthy discussion about Tolkein's books as a precursor to our movie discussions.

In 2001 Peter Jackson, along with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, everybody at Weta Workshop and an astonishingly dedicated and talented cast and crew brought us the first of three (later to be six) movies covering the events in Middle Earth as told in the books of J.R.R Tolkien. These films had a profound effect on my life. They inspired me, transported me and made me sad that I couldn't be part of that production team. Everything I have done since then has been part of an ongoing effort to create something even one iota as special. Now the second trilogy is mere weeks away from starting and it's time to celebrate with some truly epic podcasts.

So we come to it at last, the Gonzo journey into these incredibly significant collaborative projects, masquerading as mere movies. In this episode we look at how this story has been told through other media. I've time-coded the different sections for ease of navigation.

00.00: Introduction/Timeline/Tolkien
00.13: Differences between Tolkien's books and the films.
01.26: The 1977 Hobbit Movie
01.44: The 1978 Lord of the Rings Movie
02.07: The 1980 Return of the King Movie
02.18: The 1981 Radio Play
02.38: The Video Games

It's a long and detailed episode and rabid fans of the book who were disappointed with the Peter Jackson films should probably steer clear. We don't pull our punches and there are some frankly hilarious moments of scorching criticism. You will also definitely find out new and interesting things and hear music both cringe-worthy and powerful. Joining us for the long haul is Chris Eason of GameBurst.

Guest:

Chris Eason of GameBurst

The Last Airbender Nov 01, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This one serves as an introduction to Avatar since my estimate is that 97% of you, my listeners have never had the pleasure of this, maybe the finest animated TV series in the world, and I do not use those words lightly.

The Legend of Aang is a story that starts out aimed at kids aged 6-11 but rapidly becomes something far more compelling to all age groups and walks of life. Taking inspiration from eastern mythology and martial arts, but with a fresh, original and very funny energy. Set over three series, which are paced like books, this has the scale of Lord of the Rings and the heart of Toy Story. You will find yourself devouring episodes, hungry for more as it draws towards a conclusion that will leave you breathless.

That series won ten major awards and ran from 2005 - 2008 but in an extremely rare instance Nickelodeon green-lit a follow-up series named The Legend of Korra which aired in 2012 and immediately met with massive success. It features gorgeous, animation that surpasses most theatrically released movies and a plot that embraces even more unexpectedly mature social themes than its predecessor. Nickelodeon was so impressed with the feedback, viewing figures and critical response that they recently ordered forty more episodes, a move that made my team here misty-eyed with joy.

To put the whole thing in perspective we review in this episode the disastrous, turgid and utterly hated cinematic outing from 2010, directed by M Night Shyamalan. Using it as a foil to explain what they did so wrong with the movie that was done so right on the show.

Joining me for this spoiler-free sizzle to convince you of what’s been missing from your life all these years I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits and Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, presented by Gonzo Planet. Also of Gonzo Planet, my ever-patient wife Mrs Sharon Shaw, anime and comic book fanatic Mr Jerome McIntosh and for one of his very first Gonzo shows, Mr Duane Griffiths.

Guests:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Duane Griffiths of the Digital Gonzo community

Captain America: Civil War May 13, 2012

[School of Movies 2016]

It's quickly jumped to the top of many a Marvel fans' favourites list. Combining the tone of Winter Soldier with the character lineup of Age of Ultron, this has been what people consider a worthy follow-up to the original 2012 Avengers Assemble. It was an almost impossible task: To more than adequately adapt a Marvel comics crossover of dozens of books, built on forty years of continuity, featuring dozens of characters into two and a half hours, featuring just one dozen characters and built on only eight years. Not only have they succeeded, they managed to focus and update the sprawling text version, striking all the major points, kept the tone balanced between serious social commentary, nail-biting tension and riotous fun, delivered arguably the best superhero battle of all time, two AMAZING new heroes that left us slavering for their solo films, and somehow neither Iron Man nor Captain America were left overshadowed, but in fact came to new peaks of their long arcs in entirely natural fashion.

Frankly, it's a masterpiece.

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Guardians of the Galaxy May 10, 2012

[Digital Drift 2014]

This is the tenth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe podcasts.

We talk at length about the transition from obscure Marvel comic to breakout success, how the characters differ across the mediums taking many detours into the depiction of female and black characters in comic book movies, the inspired soundtrack, the hilarious, often touching performances, the detail-filled worlds and of course the vibrant, fun-filled rollicking space adventure now finally earning recognition.

This is also the first of a trilogy of unrelated movie reviews all celebrating some of the best aspects of the human spirit. Next week it’s The Lego Movie, followed by The Iron Giant, which also makes this a Chris Pratt and Vin Diesel appreciation trio. This is because episode 30 is my 400th podcast (give or take a few dozen, Digital Cowboys ran for 209 episodes and Digital Gonzo for 161).

Each has an epic running time. The discussion for all three went super-in depth for what might be perceived as kids movies by anyone who doesn’t listen to this show, and while we kept things clean for the other two it does get dark for Guardians at times so be aware of that going in. We brought in multiple voices across the board for a broader range of perspectives and experience and I’ve gone all out on the music and clips.

Listen out for my suggestions for Awesome Mix Vol. 2. A Marvel No-Prize to anyone who can give us the complete track listing for these hypothetical, thematically consistent tracks on the forum.

James Batchelor also makes a special guest appearance as The Henchman Agent, returning from his stint on the James Bond and Batman podcasts.

There are various readings from ‘We Are Groot: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Celebrates Heroes With Authentic Psychological Deficits’ written for Comics Alliance by by Dr. Andrea Letamendi

http://comicsalliance.com/guardians-galaxy-psychology-analyisis-trauma/

Guests:

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Mike Hearn from Walter the Wicked

Rose Lynn from the Digital Drift community

Doctor Victoria Luna B. Grieve from Year of Steam

Captain America: The Winter Soldier May 09, 2012

[Digital Drift 2014]

The second solo outing for Captain America has already proved immensely popular and we focus on what a strong, lean, politically charged action thriller it is. Far now from the Nazi-punching Indiana Jones style adventure of The First Avenger and separated from the volatile super team of which he had to make his mark as a significant member, this time Steve Rogers is left all alone in a world he’s seven decades out of step with.

As well as welcome newcomers Falcon and Winter Soldier we talk Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and how this advances and changes the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading up to Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Guests:

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Nikki Taylor of TheKidDogg

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

The Avengers May 06, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This is the sixth and final of the official MARVEL superhero movie reviews for now. In the future we will be returning to Marvel with reviews of the Spider-Man and X-Men film series’, and maybe a few of the others like Daredevil, 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ang Lee’s Hulk. We will also be covering any subsequent movies from the Marvel cinematic universe including Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2 and the inevitable follow-up to The Avengers. But right now we’re focusing on this culmination of years of setup and expectation as The Avengers Assemble.

This is actually the first ever Gonzo show I’ve recorded where myself, my guests and the rest of the world have only just seen the film in question for the first time. in fact it launches in the USA tonight. This makes for a slightly different discussion, not least because this is also the culmination of four years of waiting, longer if you’re a Marvel fan. It is also a new beginning for comic book movies and my theory is that in twenty years this will be seen as one of the first truly successful crossovers.

Some of the things we didn’t mention on the show that need mentioning…

1. The Helicarrier was awe-inspiring.
2. Black Widow did her fighting without high-heeled shoes again and in fact pointedly picked them up afterwards.
3. It would appear that the Americans get a brief post-credits Easter-Egg so stick around until the very end. That goes for this spoiler-packed podcast as well.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Captain America: The First Avenger May 05, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This show covers the not the first but certainly the finest cinematic outing for the star-spangled man with the shield..

This was another tough movie to make happen considering America’s relationship with war over the past decade. If they had gone too patriotic the rest of the world would have hated it, too down on America and the domestic box-office would suffer greatly. In the end the smartest thing to do was to put Steve Rogers in the context to which his character was created. The simpler times of the 1940s where heroes were lantern-jawed and villains were hideous and motivated only by hate. It could have been disastrous. It wasn’t. Find out more inside, true believers!

To finish off we also talk about some of the best and worst MARVEL video games out there as well as some wild speculation on what might happen in The Avengers that will seem dated within hours once people start seeing it.

Neil and I also place a bet.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Thor- May 04, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This was a tough one for MARVEL. DC spent years developing the similarly magic-based superhero movie; Wonder Woman and ultimately stalled, ironically letting go the director of The Avengers. The rest of the established Marvels have their background in science, albeit fantastical science from the mind of dreamers. Thor has his basis in actual Norse mythology, given a space-age refreshing by Jack Kirby. The challenge was to sell modern cinema audiences this shining hero for the first time and make him every bit as believable as Iron Man.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Iron Man May 01, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This first show covers Iron Man, arguably the best of the released movies so far. A critical and box-office high for Robert Downey Junior and director John Favreau and the beginning of a new renaissance of Marvel comic book adaptations.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm / Year One / Red Hood / Return of the Joker Jan 12, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

0m: A look at four animated batman movies. This time we’re taking a deep dive into the absolutely underrated box-office bomb, virtually unknown by the general public, but possibly best film about Batman until the Nolan films came along; Mask of the Phantasm. By extension this allows us to talk about the Animated Series which this sprang from unexpectedly for all.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill head up the cast of relative unknowns in this melodramatic film noir which explores a key relationship at Bruce Wayne’s turning point as he assumes the cowl and cape of The Dark Knight. And in the present day he has to deal with the shadowy and murderous Phantasm as well as a rather terrifying Joker. If you like Arkham Asylum, you will recognize the voices and where that world began. Absolutely do pick this up and see it. The show has some prominent spoilers after a certain point.

1h 22m: 1. Year One (2011): The retold origin by Frank Miller, published in comic form in 1987. This film focuses on Bruce first donning the cape and cowl at the same time that Jim Gordon arrives at Gotham City PD and encounters overwhelming corruption. This was the inspiration for Batman Begins and Mask of the Phantasm and reminded everyone of the tragic event that caused Bruce Wayne to dedicate his life to fighting crime.

2. Under the Red Hood (2010): Based on Under the Hood by Judd Winnick, this is a very personal story about Bruce being confronted by a shadowy figure from his past and a complex, emotional revenge tale. Genuinely frightening at times with a new portrayal of Joker courtesy of John DiMaggio.

3. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) The finale for the three-season series wherein an aged and crippled Bruce Wayne attempts to train a new Batman to protect Gotham. When the Joker shows his grinning face for the first time since his apparent death 50 years previously, all Hell breaks loose and we learn sad and disturbing secrets about how things ended with Robin and Batgirl.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Batman (1989) & Batman Returns Jan 07, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

0m: The 1989 film. This is the second of the Batman shows. This time we’re covering one of the most successful blockbusters of its day, a movie that redefined how Hollywood handled it’s big, fantastical character pieces. It followed on from Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) as the next significant step in comic-book movies, jump-starting a series that would dominate the 90’s in the way The Man of Steel dominated the 80’s.

With a soundtrack by Prince, a starring turn from Jack Nicholson’s Joker and spectacularly 80’s sensibilities, this review gave us so much meat to chew on and remains eminently quotable. Whatever your thoughts on Tim Burton are, he handled this film very well for the age of big business, shoulder-pads and rubber suits… and of course those wonderful toys.

1h 19m: This time we’re focusing on the popular, troubled, dark, flawed and twisted sequel to Burton’s 1989 smash hit. This was the only big-screen Catwoman until this year’s Dark Knight Rises and the only Penguin if you don’t count the 1966 Batman film or the frankly fuck-awful Catwoman (2004). It has Christopher Walken acting as himself, Michelle Pfeiffer in skin-tight vinyl, licking herself, Batman murdering three men in cold blood, a raw-fish-munching, diminutive, obese, sex-pest and many, many clowns.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Leah Haydu of Some Other Castle

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Prometheus / Alien Covenant Jan 05, 2012

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

33 years after the original film, the director that started off the series returns to the same universe to start a new one. Ridley Scott’s PROMETHEUS is arguably the most anticipated prequel to be released since The Phantom Menace, but is that word even an apt description of this film, considering what happens and what doesn’t? You could make a case that it serves as a remake as well. What’s certain is that after only a few days of release and before it’s even out in the USA, this film has caused a storm of negative and lukewarm responses, and a backlash of equally vociferous defense.

This time there is opposition and a clash of opinion as we set out to get a balanced yet impassioned view on the movie. Spoilers abound from the start so be sure to watch it before listening. (1h 38m: Timecode 0.02)

Super Special Extended Edition: This version of the podcast now includes my final analysis at the end (around the 1.44 mark), answering many of the questions raised by the film by examining the original script by John Spaihts. This is available to view on YouTube with a ton of visual aid by searching for “Digital Gonzo: Prometheus Final Analysis” (7m: Timecode 1.39)

PLUS: The previously Patreon-exclusive Quick Review of Alien Covenant (1h 07m: Timecode 1.46).

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Alien vs Predator & AVP:R Jan 23, 2010

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

0m: Director of two of the Resident Evil movies and producer of the rest, Paul WS Anderson helmed the first PG-13 foray for these licenses, combining them into one family-friendly Jurassic Park-style romp. If you’ve not seen it the plot could be adequately described on the back of a matchbox or indeed with crude, crayon diagrams. Humans go somewhere they shouldn’t, looking for stuff. They find ALIENS and then PREDATORs show up. The humans go squish and the creatures fight. It’s a right palava.

Josh Garrity of Cane and Rinse, Leah Haydu of GamerDork, Sharon Shaw of Gonzo Planet, James Perkins of Geek Wad and Matt Ramsey of DorkTunes are now joined by Neil Taylor of GameBurst as I bring this intrepid group of explorers closer to the ignoble end of one franchise that only ever needed to be two movies and another that maybe didn’t even need that many. Find out what happened thousands of years ago, hear the deep-sea sequel idea conceived and marvel at the inappropriate attempted vocal characterization of the PREDATORS.

53m: This was the last ALIEN film produced leaving the once acclaimed series in the gutter of creature features filled with and made by talentless nobodies. The lack of gore in the Paul WS Anderson original caused the pendulum to swing back violently, the result being that this film is ONLY about the blood and guts. Its dingy, nasty, grotty, witless, artless garbage, unfit for the term “film” and the seven assembled reviewers get their critical teeth in with savage acuity.

The PREDATOR series fared better after this as the 2010 film PREDATORS was deliberately set apart from these crossovers and pitched itself as a follow-up to the 1987 original. As the spiritual equivalent of Cameron’s ALIENS it gave hope for continuation of that series. With Scott’s plans for the PROMETHEUS story skewing further away from the Alien franchise it could be a while before we see them emerge, dripping from the shadows once again.

Guests:

Sharon Shaw of School of Movies

Leah Haydu of Some Other Castle

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

James Perkins of The Digital Fix

Predator 2 & Predators Jan 21, 2010

[Digital Gonzo 2011]

0m: For the second part of our Predator specials we cover the 1990 film; Predator 2, this time starring too-old-for-this-shit Danny Glover. This one is directed by Stephen Hopkins who went on to helm The Ghost and the Darkness and Lost in Space. Once again the whole show is underscored by the music of Alan Silvestri. Unlike last week, opinion is somewhat more divided on the subject of this one and its follow-up. Neil and I have opposing favourites and a somewhat scornful reaction to the other for different reasons.

28m: For the third and concluding part of our Predator specials we cover the long-awaited third movie, released two decades after the second in 2010; Predators. Find out what we feel about the expanding worlds of this alien hunter and ultimately how they could take the series in new and exciting directions in the future.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of GameBurst

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Die Hard With a Vengeance & Live Free or Die Hard Jan 12, 2010

[Digital Gonzo 2010]

0m: The third Die Hard movie gets the Gonzo treatment. This time John McTiernan returns to bring the series back to greatness. We discuss how in many ways this is the equal of the original.

55m: This time almost everyone from the original three is absent save for Bruce Willis himself and we struggle to locate our interest in what is otherwise a functional, but unrelated action flick.

We’re aided by some sterling musical accompaniment and at the end we bring in the big guns with Doctor Mark Kermode’s views on this particular waste of a sequel. There are also rants about the focus-grouped nature of this production, the PG-13 certificate, the subsequent lack of bite onscreen and why Willis needs to see a wigmaker and a vest-supplier.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of GameBurst

Matt Ramsey of GamerDork

Die Hard & Die Hard 2: Die Harder Jan 10, 2010

0m: In this first show, we discuss the Nakatomi incident, John and Holly’s relationship and Hans’ status as one of the greatest movie villains of all time. We also look at how immensely influential Die Hard has been both for action-thrillers and the portrayal of cinematic heroes.

52m: The 1990 sequel to Die Hard. You know the drill; airport in trouble, terrorists, gunfights. Experience firsthand what happens when the Gonzo format encounters a movie that’s actually just pretty mediocre. Tangents galore! Other movies, what made them good, anything to save us from traipsing through the minutia of this by-the-numbers late 80’s action movie.

There’s also some hilarious dubbing work from the TV edits.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of GameBurst.

Mike Philips from The Fanboys Lunchcast,

Matthew Ramsey of GamerDork

Return of the Jedi [Ultimate Edition] Jan 03, 2010

[School of Movies 2017]

We round off our Orij Trij redux episodes with the most divisive of Star Wars movies until Revenge of the Sith came along, then The Force Awakens, then The Last Jedi, look Star Wars makes a lot of people happy and a lot of people very mad!

This one had more cut out then the other two, partly because so much had already been said about the massive influence upon cinema, the craft of making them and the overall story and character arcs, and ultimately this movie is a two hour framing device for Luke and his Father to have a long chat with lightsabers.

I pulled out all the stops to boil this down to only everything important and entertaining about ROTJ, and it ended up, a show to be proud of.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Batchelor of the Bond and Beyond Podcast

Voice Actor Alex Eding

Chris Brown of The Married Gamers

The Empire Strikes Back [Ultimate Edition] Jan 02, 2010

[School of Movies 2017]

The special re-edited and polished up special edition of our original 2010 podcast on what a hell of a lot of people consider to be the greatest Star Wars movie ever filmed.

As with the Episode IV show the original footage was mixed with the best sections best bits of our 2015 blu ray commentary, blended with the music of John Williams.

We look at how and why this 1980 science-fantasy classic is still as dark, bright and fresh today as it was nearly four decades ago, how many new aspects were introduced (because that's how expanding mythology works!) and how Star Wars would not still be the phenomenon it was, without it.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Batchelor of the Bond and Beyond Podcast

Voice Actor Alex Eding

Mike Phillips of The Fanboys Lunchcast.

Star Wars [Ultimate Edition] Jan 01, 2010

[School of Movies 2017]

This is a special re-edited and polished up special edition of our original 2010 podcast on the 1977 movie that started it all.

Mixed with the best sections of that show are the best bits of our 2015 blu ray commentary, all bound together with the glorious score from John Williams.

You can still listen to the earliest version, it's available for all on the School of Movies Archive podcast feed, but this one is way better and has 55% less jibber jabber.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

James Batchelor of the Bond and Beyond

Voice Actor Alex Eding

Legends of Zelda Jul 16, 2009

[Digital Cowboys 2010]

Maybe the best of the Digital Cowboys episodes. This is all about Zelda through the years, covering every game and it comprises extracts from many, many interviews with podcasters and the DC community.

What comes across is a very special game series. There is a justified reason why Nintendo releases these games in gold boxes and treats the moment as a major event. It's difficult in fact to imagine many others being recounted with such fondness and with such importance. The frustration is also there; the bad design decisions and the repetitive formula, amid hopes for the future, all underscored by 25 years of incredible music.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed towards this show, without your submitted rich experiences, it wouldn't have been a fraction as good.

Originally published July 16th 2010.

Guests:

Dan Ilson - Everything is Better with Beer & Gonzo Planet
Adam Capone - Joypod
Leon Cox - Cane and Rinse & GamerDork
Dits Symeou - The Gamerscene & Gonzo Planet
Alex Shaw - Digital Cowboys, Digital Gonzo & Gonzo Planet
Luke Carson - Digital Cowboys community
Mik Phillips - The Fanboys Lunchcast & Gonzo Planet
Ryan Astley - Gonzo Planet
Michelle Smith - Pink & Deadly
Paul Shotton - Digital Cowboys
Tony Atkins - Cane and Rinse & Digital Cowboys
James Batchelor - GameBurst, The WiiDS podcast & Gonzo Planet
Leah Haydu - GamerDork, Some Other Castle & Gonzo Planet
David Turner - Joypod
Roy Fortitude - Digital Cowboys community cast
Chris O'Regan - Superhappyfuntimeshow
Josh Garrity - Cane & Rinse, Digital Cowboys Community cast & Gonzo Planet
Edie Sellers - Gamehounds
Daniel Floyd - Extra Credits

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected